Cambodian King Sihamoni to visit India after 60 years

The King of Cambodia, Norodom Sihamoni, will pay a state visit to India from 29 May to 31 May, marking the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The monarch of Cambodia is making his first state visit to India in nearly six decades, with the last one in 1963. This visit would commemorate the 70th anniversary of India-Cambodia relations, which were established in 1952.

Earlier during a media briefing Saurabh Kumar, Secretary (East), MEA stated “He would be accompanied by a 27-member high-level delegation including the minister of the Royal Palace, President of the Senate, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and other officials.”

President Shimati Pratiba Patil was the last Indian president to visit Cambodia in 2010. In 1959, President Rajendra Prasad visited Cambodia. The King of Cambodia’s visit will begin in the morning of May 30, 2023, with the Ceremonial Guard of Honour at the Rajpathi Bhavan.

He would subsequently lay floral tributes at Raj Ghat, according to the briefing from the Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (East). The Cambodian King is set to see India’s President, Vice President, and Prime Minister, according to the MEA Secretary. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will also pay him a visit.

At Rashpathi Bhavan, President Droupadi Murmu will give a feast in honor of the King. Saurabh Kumar provided a brief history of India’s links with Cambodia, stating that India-Cambodia relations are rooted in Hindu and Buddhist cultural influences that originated in India.