India today expressed its willingness to cooperate with Cambodia in infrastructural projects and conservation of historical monuments along with human resource development and capacity building.
"While human resource development and capacity building have been the primary focus of our bilateral relations, India is extremely happy to cooperate with Cambodia in infrastructural projects, as well as in projects related to conservation and preservation of historical monuments," President Pratibha Patil said.
She was speaking at a reception given by the Indian community in Phnom Penh in her honour.
Patil, who arrived here on a six-day state visit, appreciated the role played by the Cambodian government in facilitating India's engagement with the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) region.
"It is worth mentioning that India attained Summit level partnership with ASEAN under Cambodia's chairmanship of the ASEAN in 2002," she said.
Under Cambodia's ASEAN chairmanship in 2012, a commemorative summit in India will be organised to mark the country's 20-year association with the regional body, she said.
Expressing "extreme satisfaction" with India's friendly and cooperative ties with Cambodia, Patil said New Delhi would continue to work for strengthening of these ties.
Bilateral relations between the two countries, first established by independent India during 1950s, were renewed in 1981 after the end of Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia.
The President also asked the Indian diaspora here to be the bridge between the two countries to access knowledge, expertise, resources and markets for the development of the country of their origin.
Patil arrived here as part of the second leg of her visit to two ASEAN countries - Laos and Cambodia.
