Your Royal Highness the Princess Royal
Samdech Preah Ream
Your Royal Highness
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of the Royal Government and the people of Cambodia, I would like to extend our warmest welcome to Your Royal Highness and members of Your Royal Highness delegation for the official visit to the Kingdom of Cambodia.
The Royal Government and the people of Cambodia are profoundly delighted by Your Royal Highness first and historical visit to Cambodia. Your Royal Highness had caught sight of the ancient temples symbolizing thousands years of Khmer civilization and culture regarded as the seventh world wonder.
Your Royal Highness visit today clearly reflects the sound relations between the Royal families of the Kingdom of Cambodia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain as well as the excellent friendship between the two peoples.
I strongly believe Your Royal Highness present visit would enhance the existing great bonds of friendship and cooperation between our two Kingdoms.
The successful restoration of peace and stability nationwide is the most important factor for the Royal Government in developing all social economic fields. At the same time the progress on democratic pluralism, respect of human rights, judicial reforms, etc. is moving toward the right direction.
In the year 2000 through to 2001, despite Cambodia was badly hit by heavy floods, its economic growth remained steadfast. The recent commune council elections successfully undertaken were deriving from the success of enhancement of democracy and the decentralization at the grass root level.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has generously provided multiple kinds of assistance for aforementioned development projects directly to the Royal Government of Cambodia or through the non-governmental organizations such as Save the Children Fund, World Vision, Cambodia Trust, OXFAM, just to name a few.
I am hopeful that during Your visit, Your Royal Highness has noted the legacy left by wars and the genocidal regime of the Khmer Rouge and also what the Royal Government and people of Cambodia have proudly realized from the worst tragedy from 1979 to the present.
Furthermore, “Save the Children Fund” under Your Royal Highness chairmanship has since assisted Cambodian children during their hardship in the 80’s after the collapse of the barbaric regime of the Khmer Rouge.
In this very happy occasion, I would like to extend our profound gratitude to the Royal Government of Great Britain, and personally to Your Royal Highness, for having helped Cambodia in its efforts for socio-economic development in the post civil wars and the genocidal regime of the Khmer Rouge – a period that lasted nearly three decades. Today the only war we have to overcome is poverty reduction in order to move Cambodia forward with a strong economic support and development.
In this auspicious occasion, to conclude and to extend warmest welcome to Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal’s visit to Cambodia and to the bonds of friendship and cooperation between the Kingdom of Cambodia and the United Kingdom, I would like to invite Your Royal Highness, Samdech Preah Ream, Your Royal Highnesses, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen to join me a toast to:
- the good health and longevity of His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk, King of Cambodia and Her Majesty Queen Norodom Monineath Sihanouk
- the good health and longevity of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- the good health of Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal
- the everlasting bonds of friendship between our two Peoples and Governments
- the good health of Samdech Preah Ream, Your Royal Highness, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen here present.
Thank You
