Source: FN
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen recalled that he was the first man to create the Kingdom’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation 41 years ago when he was only 27 years old, speaking at the closing ceremony of the annual conference of the ministry held Friday at the Peace Palace.
“The ministry [foreign affairs] started with only three people, including myself, a driver, and a bodyguard. We did not have human resource…a city without people,” the premier addressed.
“I was the first man to create the ministry at the age of 27,” he added.
Strongman Hun Sen, who has served as the Cambodian prime minister since 1985, compared the living standard of the current diplomats to those in the past.
“Cham Prasidh, who is my former cabinet chief and personal secretary, has only a bicycle, but today, many of Cambodian diplomats have cars and good clothes to work. I am honoured to transform a poverty-stricken nation to a prosperous kingdom as today,” the premier stated.
“Today’s diplomats are lucky. When I was a diplomat, I had only USD 50 for my mission abroad regardless of how long the mission was,” he continued.