PHNOM PENH, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia and the European Union have vowed to enhance bilateral ties for mutual benefits, a spokesman said on Friday.
The commitment was made during a meeting between Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell Fontelles, who also serves as vice president of the European Commission, on Thursday on the sidelines of the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting and Related Meetings hosted by Cambodia.
"On bilateral front, Deputy PM Prak Sokhonn and Borrell expressed their satisfaction over the steady progress of the cooperation and discussed ways to further enhance mutual understanding so as to further promote trade and investment," Cambodian foreign ministry's spokesman Chum Sounry said in a news release.
Sokhonn expressed his sincere appreciation to the EU and its member states for their continued support and assistance for Cambodia's socio-economic development, the spokesman added.
Meanwhile, the Cambodian top diplomat informed Borrell of the country's remarkable progress on democracy, especially the recent commune election taking place in early June this year in a free, fair and transparent manner with more than 80 percent turnout rate and the contest by 17 political parties.
Both sides had an exchange of views on a wide array of regional and international issues, the spokesman said, adding that they also looked forward to the ASEAN-EU Commemorative Summit to mark the 45th anniversary of the ASEAN-EU Dialogue Relations to be held on Dec. 14-15, 2022 in Brussels.
Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen is planning to co-chair the summit with the EU side, the spokesman said.
