Phnom Penh, 16 December 2025 — Samdech Maha Rathsapheathika Thipadei Khuon Sudary, President of the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Cambodia, on Tuesday morning received a courtesy call from H.E. Markéta Kolc Hájková, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Czech Republic to the Kingdom of Cambodia, at the National Assembly Palace.
During the meeting, Samdech Khuon Sudary congratulated Ambassador Hájková on her appointment and thanked former Czech ambassadors for their contributions to advancing bilateral relations. She also recalled the deep historical bonds between the two countries, including the fact that His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni studied in the former Czechoslovakia and speaks Czech fluently.
For her part, Ambassador Markéta Kolc Hájková conveyed her sympathy for civilians affected by Thai military aggression, particularly displaced families and children unable to attend school, and expressed hope that the ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand, facilitated by the United States and ASEAN, would be maintained.
The Ambassador highlighted nearly seven decades of Cambodia–Czech diplomatic relations and the Czech Republic’s continued support for Cambodia, ranging from infrastructure development in earlier years to ongoing assistance in priority sectors such as health and education. She also expressed readiness to expand cooperation in areas including health development and business, and emphasized the importance of promoting people-to-people and cultural exchanges.
Samdech Khuon Sudary briefed the Ambassador on recent developments along the Cambodia–Thailand border, noting that the situation had escalated into serious military aggression involving the use of heavy weaponry. She underscored that the escalation had resulted in the displacement of nearly half a million civilians, the closure of more than one thousand schools, severe disruption to children’s education, and extensive damage to infrastructure, ancient temples, as well as public and private property.
Samdech emphasized that Cambodia is a peace-loving nation that has endured decades of war and fully understands the suffering caused by armed conflict. She underscored that both the Cambodian and Thai peoples desire peace and reiterated that Cambodia is a small country with neither the capacity nor the intention to wage war. She warned that any continued military invasion extending deep into Cambodian territory would constitute a serious violation of international law, including the UN Charter, international humanitarian law, and international human rights law.
Samdech expressed deep gratitude to the Czech Republic for transforming Cambodia’s debt into development assistance, describing this as a model of genuine partnership. She further thanked the Czech Government for its support programs focusing on maternal and child health, human resource development, and technical and vocational education and training (TVET), as well as for providing more than 400 scholarships to Cambodian students since 1981.
Samdech noted that Cambodia is striving to graduate from least developed country status by 2029, despite the current challenges posed by the conflict, and praised the strong solidarity of the Cambodian people in supporting frontline soldiers and displaced civilians.
Looking ahead, Samdech called for strengthening parliamentary cooperation, expanding trade and investment—particularly in agriculture—and enhancing tourism and people-to-people exchanges as foundations for mutual understanding and long-lasting friendship, reaffirming Cambodia’s determination to continue working toward its Vision 2030 and Vision 2050.
