Now is the time to accelerate US relations
Cambodia’s growing relationship with the US is important not only for its potential economic opportunities but also the opportunities to build pathways of civil society exchange, an important lever for mutual prosperity in economic, political and social spheres of international relations.
Notwithstanding the importance of what has been achieved in this growing relationship, there remains significant opportunity and need for faster and more comprehensive cooperation and partnership.
Some clarification is also required over an earlier comment by US President Donald Trump.
His use of the word “nasty” was an informal way to describe how brutal the conflict between Cambodian and Thailand has been and the difficulties with securing peace. “Nasty” or “nastiness” is not meant to describe either party in a negative way; rather it was a characterisation of the conflict.
Hopefully Cambodia and the US continue on their current positive course, which is guaranteed to improve the interests of both countries and promote peace and security in the region.
Youk Chhang is director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam). The views and opinions expressed are his own.
-Phnom Penh Post-
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