Hun Manet (right) greeting U Ko Ko Hlaing during their meeting in Phnom Penh on Aug 1. - STPM
PHNOM PENH: In a meeting with the Myanmar special envoy U Ko Ko Hlaing, Prime Minister Hun Manet expressed hope that the situation there would soon be resolved, while an analyst suggested Myanmar further consider strategies for rebuilding its socio-economic condition.
During a meeting with Manet on Thursday (Aug 1) in Phnom Penh, U Ko Ko Hlaing, special envoy of Min Aung Hlaing, chairman of the State Administration Council (SAC) and prime minister of Myanmar, highlighted the recent developments in Myanmar, according to an Aug 1 post on Manet's social media.
“The prime minister emphasised that Cambodia-Myanmar bilateral cooperation still has potential in many areas. He hoped the situation in Myanmar would be resolved in the near future,” the post said.
The post stated that Hlaing praised the “excellent” friendship and relations between Myanmar and Cambodia and believed that under Manet’s leadership, cooperation and relations between the two countries would further strengthen and expand.
At the meeting, a number of potential areas for cooperation between the two countries were highlighted, including economics, trade, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges, according to the post.
Thong Mengdavid, a lecturer at the Royal University of Phnom Penh’s Institute for International Studies, said resolving the political crisis in Myanmar is important, but it also needs to focus on rebuilding and recovering its socio-economic situation.
“Cambodia is ready to support peacebuilding and join other Asean members in providing humanitarian and economic assistance to Myanmar.
“Regional stability and peace are fundamental to building the Asean Community, and Asean also needs the participation of all members. As such, working together to solve the Myanmar problem is something that Cambodia prioritises,” he told The Post on Aug 1.
According to Myanmar’s Ministry of Information on Aug 2, during a meeting that day with Senate president Hun Sen, Hlaing shared recent developments in Myanmar, the implementation of the Asean five-point consensus in line with the five-point roadmap of the SAC and preparations to hold a free and fair election in Myanmar.
“They also cordially exchanged views on matters pertaining to the further enhancement of the existing ties of friendship between the two countries, prospects for the expansion of mutually beneficial cooperation in various areas including tourism, connectivity and culture, closer collaboration at both regional and multilateral levels, as well as possible activities to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Myanmar-Cambodia diplomatic relations in 2025,” it said. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
