Cambodian King arrives on maiden state visit to India

New Delhi: Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni on Monday arrived here on a maiden state visit, a trip that would mark culmination of the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations with India.

Minister of State for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh welcomed the Cambodian King at the Air Force Station, Palam.

The Cambodian King is accompanied by a 27-member high-level delegation, including the minister of the royal palace, minister of foreign affairs and other senior officials.

The state visit marks the culmination of the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Cambodia, which were established in 1952, the MEA had said in a statement.

External Affairs Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said the visit of the Cambodian King was an opportunity to further deepen the civilisational relations between India and Cambodia. This visit by the Cambodia King is taking place after almost six decades, with the last being that of the current King’s father in 1963.

The King will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday and President Droupadi Murmu will host a state banquet in his honour the same evening.

He will also have bilateral meetings with the president and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will call on the Cambodian king.

India and Cambodia enjoy warm and friendly relations marked by civilisational, cultural and economic linkages and deep-rooted people-to-people ties, the MEA statement said. The multi-faceted relationship is based on shared cultural values, commitment to foster economic growth, collaboration in the fields of defence and security and convergence on regional and global issues, the statement said.