Indonesian Ambassador stresses youth’s role to strengthen ties

Over 400 students gathered at the National University of Battambang (NUBB), to hear Santo Darmosumarto, the Ambassador of Indonesia to Cambodia, discuss the pivotal role of young people in deepening ties between Indonesia and Cambodia.

In his lecture, Santo emphasised the untapped potential for cooperation between the two nations, encouraging the conversion of their long-standing historical ties into tangible partnerships across various fields. “There is so much room for effort in expanding the cooperation,” he remarked, recalling Indonesia’s support for Cambodia’s peace process in the 1980s and 1990s, as a cornerstone of their enduring relationship.

Professor Sok Khorn, Rector of NUBB, praised the Ambassador’s outreach, expressing optimism for expanded collaboration between Cambodian universities and Indonesian businesses and institutions. While NUBB has maintained an academic partnership with Universitas Bengkulu in Indonesia since 2014, Professor Khorn highlighted the university’s aspiration to forge new connections with other Indonesian educational institutions.

The event also included an interactive session, where Santo shared personal anecdotes about his travels across Cambodia and the kindness of its people. He offered advice to the students on representing their country internationally, stating, “Always be proud of the achievements made by Cambodia and its people.”

This year marks 65 years of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Cambodia, a milestone celebrated with numerous activities, including public lectures at leading Cambodian universities.

Santo has previously spoken at the University of Cambodia, Kirirom University of Technology, Pannasastra University, Angkor University, and the National Defence University.

While in Battambang, he visited the renowned Phare Ponleu Selpak arts and circus school, where he observed the impact of community-based education on job creation for Cambodian youth.

After presenting his credentials to King Norodom Sihamoni on 18 October last year, he has set a mission to meet with senior government officials, including Prime Minister Hun Manet, to discuss cooperation in potential sectors.

“The feedback has been very positive,” he remarked during an exclusive interview with Khmer Times. “I think a lot of people have indicated that I have been active, but I believe that it is something that really needs to be done, and I hope to carry on doing that, for the remainder of my stay here in Cambodia.”

“It is important for us to meet various segments of society here in Cambodia, so I have met with government officials at the senior level as well as the technical level. At the same time, I also try to meet with other segments of society: academics, businesspeople, and even kindergarten students.”

In 1956, Indonesia gave Cambodia recognition as a sovereign nation, and the following year, both nations established diplomatic relations. In recent history, Indonesia was a part of the Jakarta Informal Meetings, which led to the Paris Peace Conference, and there is also Indonesia’s presence in the UN Peacekeeping Operation in Cambodia.

Indonesia was also among the first to support Cambodia’s membership in ASEAN. However, the two nations’ ties go back to ancient times between the Khmer Empire, the Kingdom of Champa, and the Majapahit Empire.