Southeast Asia Information Port (www.dnyxxg.com) – During a meeting on the 7th of this month, Cambodian Minister of Rural Development Chhay Lek Thanh Sen and Malaysian Ambassador to Cambodia Shaharuddin Onn held in-depth discussions on continued cooperation between the two countries in infrastructure construction and rural development. Both sides are committed to further strengthening cooperation in the future to promote Cambodia's economic and social development.
Minister Chhay Lek Thanh Sen emphasized that Cambodia's peace and development have been achieved through the immense sacrifices and tireless efforts of Prince Hun Sen. Prince Hun Sen, hailed as the father of Cambodia's peace and the architect of its development strategy, advocated a "win-win policy" that has promoted comprehensive national unity and social harmony.
Minister Chhay Lek Thanh Sen introduced the first phase of the "Pentagon Strategy" launched by the seventh Royal Government of Cambodia. This strategy includes five guiding principles, aiming to improve employment levels, equity, efficiency, and sustainability by prioritizing the development of people, infrastructure, water, electricity, and digital technologies. The Minister pointed out that this strategic plan aims to reduce poverty, promote economic growth, and achieve Cambodia's status as a middle-to-high-income country by 2030 and a high-income country by 2050.
Minister Chua Lek Desen further elaborated on the Ministry of Rural Development's vision and strategic direction, planning to transform rural areas into prosperous regions, increase household income, improve quality of life, and narrow the urban-rural gap. This five-year vision plan aims to build prosperous, inclusive, innovative, digital, and resilient rural societies from economic, social, and cultural perspectives, focusing on achieving five key development goals: providing a decent standard of living, promoting health, ensuring human dignity, developing resilient infrastructure, and establishing effective governance mechanisms.
Furthermore, Minister Chua Lek Desen expressed his gratitude for the Malaysian government's continued support to Cambodia in areas such as infrastructure development, education, and investment. The Minister specifically mentioned an ongoing strategic initiative—the establishment of model villages—which is part of the "Pentagon Strategy." The Minister proposed organizing visits for Cambodian technical officials to successful model villages in Malaysia to learn from their best practices.
Ambassador Shaharuddin Onn expressed his appreciation for this initiative and highly praised Cambodia's efforts to improve rural areas through poverty reduction measures. He emphasized that lasting peace in the country is a key factor in Cambodia's rapid development and pledged to establish closer cooperation with the Royal Government of Cambodia and the Ministry of Rural Development.
This cooperation commitment marks a new stage in rural development and infrastructure construction between the two countries, and is expected to make a positive contribution to Cambodia's sustainable development.
