The French Embassy in Phnom Penh this morning hosted a ceremony at the Memorial for the Dead of World War I in the park in front of the embassy and in the embassy’s compound to commemorate the end of WWI on Nov. 11, 1918.
Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation H.E. Sok Chenda Sophea and Secretary of State at the Ministry of National Defence H.E. Ms. Dam Dariny were also present on the occasion.
Addressing the function, H.E. Jacques Pellet, Ambassador of France to Cambodia, said WWI left more than 10 million dead, and among them there were 1.4 million French soldiers. With 3 million widows and 6 million orphans, the civilians of the belligerent countries also paid a heavy price during this deadliest conflict in our history.
There was the horror of the trenches, but also the brotherhood of arms between allied forces and in particular that of the Cambodian and French soldiers fighting side by side, he added.
Known in Khmer as “Roup Pi”, the Memorial for the Dead of WWI is dedicated to the Cambodians and French who sacrificed their lives during WWI and symbolises Cambodia-France friendship.
The Memorial, inaugurated in 1925 and destroyed by the Khmer Rouge in 1976, was rebuilt and inaugurated on July 14, 2023 at the initiative of Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, former Prime Minister of Cambodia.
Besides, H.E. Jacques Pellet recalled the long-standing military cooperation between the two countries, stressing that France is proud to stand alongside Cambodia to serve world peace. The cooperation is based on support and advice to the command of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF); the teaching of French language as well as the training of officers, and the strengthening of the operational capacities of Cambodian peacekeepers.
Cambodia and France mark this year the 70th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic ties.
Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse