V-P Jagdeep Dhankhar and his wife arrive in Siem Reap for a brief stopover

Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted, "Wheels down in the historical city of Siem Reap. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar @VPSecretariat arrives in Siem Reap for a brief stopover. The city is home to the largest temple complex of the world, the majestic Angkor Wat."

Notably, VP Jagdeep Dhankhar and his wife arrived in Cambodia on November 11 for a three-day visit. During his visit to Cambodia, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday participated in the 17th East Asia Summit (EAS) in Phnom Penh. In his address at the summit, he highlighted the importance of the EAS mechanism in promoting a "free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific, including freedom of navigation and overflight."

Furthermore, he underscored the growing global concerns in the food and energy sector. Dhankhar called for the contribution of members of the East Asia Summit to the International Year of Millets. On the sidelines of the East Asia Summit, Jagdeep Dhankhar met with US President Joe Biden.

Notably, East Asia Summit comprises ASEAN member states -- Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam and its eight dialogue partners - India, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Russia.

It is pertinent to mention here that the United Nations General Assembly has declared the year 2023 as the International Year of Millets. It was adopted by a United Nations Resolution for which India took the lead and received the support of more than 70 nations.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture press release, the International Year of Millets will help to create awareness about the importance of millets across the world, its role in sustainable agriculture and its benefits as a smart and superfood.

Highlighting the importance of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar's visit, India's ambassador to Cambodia, Devyani Khobragade said, "Vice President's 1st official visit abroad is to Cambodia. India in Cambodia is celebrating 70th anniversary of our bilateral relations. We have been trying to increase institutional linkages in various sectors. We signed four MoUs during the visit."

Sharing details regarding the signed agreements, Devyani Khobragade stated, "One of them was in the sector of health and this will promote an exchange of medical information and cooperation in medical research as well as an exchange of know-how in traditional medicine areas as well."

India's Ambassador to Cambodia, Devyani Khobragade said, "Second MoU was for conservation of biodiversity and for the reintroduction of tiger from India to Cambodia - it's a very ambitious project & if successful it will be first ever in world where there would be a transfer of tiger from one country to another."

Devyani Khobragade stated that the third memorandum of understanding was signed in the area of digital conservation of cultural heritage between IIT Jodhpur and the Institute of Tech of Cambodia. Devyani Khobragade stated that the fourth Mou was signed for the restoration of Ramayana murals in Wat Bo.

"The fourth one is for the restoration of Ramayana murals in Wat Bo, it is a living pagoda in Siem Reap. This is part of our preservation of the Ramayana trail from India to South East Asia," Devyani Khobragade said. (ANI)