Cambodia and Nepal have signed a number of agreements to boost diplomatic and trade ties, according to the Cambodian foreign ministry.
Prime Minister Hun Sen visited the Nepali capital Kathmandu between November 29 and December 1. During his visit, he attended the Asia-Pacific Summit and met the Nepal Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Shamar Oli, President Bidhya Devi Bhandari, and other senior officials.
The countries signed four agreements during the visit, including an exemption on visa requirements for members of the diplomatic service.
Khadga Prasad Shamar Oli congratulated Hun Sen on the ruling Cambodian People’s Party’s landslide election victory in July and the appointment of a non-resident ambassador to Nepal.
Keth Sophann, spokesman for the foreign ministry, could not be reached for comment on Monday.
Rong Chhun, president of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions (CCU) and a former member of the National Election Committee, said the comments from the Nepali leader were expected of a foreign leader greeting the prime minister.
“It’s normal because they are the host, so they always say something to please [us]. They can’t use inappropriate language with guests,” he said.
He noted that major democratic countries did not recognize the results of the general election.
“If we looked at the past elections, we saw that the West condemned it repeatedly regarding the political situation in Cambodia. They said that the election was not legitimate and it was conducted without paying respect to the will of the people and it didn’t follow democratic principles,” he said.
