Two senior British officials – H.E. Jon Lambe, UK Ambassador to ASEAN, and Director of South East Asia and Pacific Department Ms. Joelle Jenny are travelling to Cambodia for a two-day visit to build stronger ties as the countryy took over as ASEAN Chair earlier this year, according to a press release of the UK Government issued yesterday.
“A strong UK-ASEAN relationship is a critical part of our global engagement, foreign policy and our Indo-Pacific Tilt. Our Dialogue Partner status has enabled us to deliver deeper UK-ASEAN cooperation and mutual benefit,” the source added.
H.E. Jon Lambe said the UK is delighted to be the first new Dialogue Partner to ASEAN in 25 years. This partnership will allow the UK to work more closely with Cambodia, and other ASEAN Member States on shared challenges such as trade, investment, climate change, the environment, science and technology, and education.
“My trip to Cambodia this week demonstrates our commitment to this partnership. I look forward to demonstrating the UK’s support for Cambodia’s ASEAN chairmanship and working with Cambodia to tackle some of the region’s biggest challenges; whether building back better from Covid-19 or dealing with the impact of Climate Change,” he added.
For her part, Ms. Joelle Jenny said the UK is committed to its relationship with Cambodia and she is delighted to be visiting again. “Cambodia will be a vital partner for the UK as we increase our engagement with the region and we want to deepen and expand our ties,” she underlined. “Cambodia also has an important role to play as Chair of ASEAN this year, and the UK, in our first year as ASEAN dialogue partner, is committed to supporting Cambodia’s chairmanship.”
During their visit, the UK Ambassador to ASEAN and Director of South East Asia and Pacific will be meeting several Secretaries of State from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Minister of Commerce, and ASEAN SEOM leader.
Source: Agency Kampuchea Press