Top diplomats of S. Korea, Cambodia discuss bilateral cooperation, regional issues

SEOUL, Sept. 8 (Yonhap) -- The top diplomats of South Korea and Cambodia held talks on Wednesday on bilateral cooperation in areas including COVID-19 responses and development assistance, and other regional issues, the foreign ministry said.

During the talks, Foreign Ministers Chung Eui-yong and Prak Sokhonn agreed that bilateral relations have developed in various fields, including trade, investment and development cooperation, and that they should continue to work together to further deepen ties, the ministry said.

Sokhonn was in Seoul this week for the two-way talks and to co-chair with Chung a video-linked meeting with their counterparts from four other nations along the Mekong River -- Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand.

In Wednesday's talks, the ministers agreed to push for "tailored" official development assistance (ODA) programs for Cambodia to meet demand, noting that Seoul's significant contribution through the ODA has helped the country promote sustainable growth.

South Korea's cumulative ODA for Cambodia stood at a tentative US$9.16 million as of end-2020, the second-largest amount among the recipient countries.

At the talks, Chung also pledged active support for Cambodia's COVID-19 responses through its participation in the COVAX AMC, an international mechanism intended to provide COVID-19 vaccines to developing countries at low cost.

As co-chairs of the cooperation forum of the Mekong subregion countries, the two sides continued to make efforts to strengthen cooperative ties in the region.

They also discussed the situation in Myanmar and reaffirmed the need to advance the five-point consensus reached at a summit led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) early this year.

The consensus calls for an early visit to Myanmar by an ASEAN special envoy, the immediate cessation of violence in the country and constructive dialogue among all parties involved for a peaceful solution.

elly@yna.co.kr
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