Srettha meets Hun Sen as he concludes Cambodia trip on a high
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin concluded his trip to Cambodia on Thursday evening after making a courtesy call on Cambodia’s former premier Hun Sen in Phnom Penh.
During their meeting, Srettha praised Hun Sen for his “significant role” in strengthening ties between Thailand and Cambodia.
In return, Hun Sen expressed his confidence that the Thai leader would help forge even closer bilateral ties, Thai government spokesman Chai Watcharong said.
Hun Sen, who is now the chairman of Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni’s Personal Advisory Council, also offered to provide his “full support” to cooperation between the two countries, according to the spokesman.
The former Cambodian leader, who stepped down recently after 37 years in power, hosted a dinner for the visiting Thai prime minister.
Srettha flew out of Phnom Penh after his meeting with Hun Sen and arrived in Bangkok at about 8.20pm on Thursday.
In his message posted on Thursday night on the X platform, formerly Twitter, Srettha said he was happy that the bilateral talks during his one-day visit to Cambodia “went well and smoothly”.
“This visit to Cambodia is an important spark for both countries to move forward together,” he wrote.
In his tweet, Srettha also included a photo of Hun Sen holding his hand while they walked on a red carpet.
Earlier on Thursday, Srettha met new Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, who is Hun Sen’s son, to discuss bilateral ties.
Cambodia was Srettha’s first visit for bilateral talks after assuming office late last month. His maiden overseas trip as PM was to New York earlier this month to attend the UN General Assembly.
Some Cambodian observers pointed to the good relationship between Hun Sen and former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is regarded as the patriarch of Srettha’s Pheu Thai Party.
Yang Peou, secretary-general of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said that Srettha’s visit to Cambodia as his first Asean trip demonstrated how much he valued the bilateral relationship.
“This value stems from the foundation built by the families of former prime ministers Hun Sen and Thaksin Shinawatra, and the relationship between the Pheu Thai Party and the Cambodian People’s Party, as well as at the national level,” Peou was quoted as saying by The Phnom Penh Post.
