Two recently appointed ambassadors have commended the government and Ministry of Health for the excellent control over the spread of Covid-19, which has allowed the reopening of the Kingdom.

German ambassador Stefan Anton Messerer and his Vietnamese counerpart Nguyen Huy Tang offered their compliments to health minister Mam Bun Heng during their meeting at the health ministry on October 11.

Bun Heng welcomed Messerer, and thanked Germany for its cooperation in the field of health, especially in the context of the fight against Covid-19.

According to the minister, the German government has been providing assistance to Cambodia’s health sector since 1994 through the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and KfW Development Bank.

He said grants included cooperative financing for essential drug supply projects and reproductive health projects. They also played a part in the first and second phases of health and quality improvement projects and nutrition projects in Cambodia.

Bun Heng added that technical assistance included human resource development and health infrastructure construction.

“The Cambodian government . . . has effectively controlled the spread of Covid-19 and helped Cambodia to reopen economically and socially since November last year,” said Messerer.

Messerer also thanked the government for providing Covid-19 vaccines to all German diplomats, and German citizens living in Cambodia, for free.

On the same day, Bun Heng also welcomed new Vietnamese ambassador Tang.

Tang also offered his congratulations and went on to confer his nation’s gratitude for the vaccination of all of its citizens who were present in the Kingdom.

He also thanked the government for providing emergency assistance in response to the pandemic, including vaccines, paper-masks, medical N95 masks and oxygen supplies.

On the same day, Prime Minister Hun Sen said the fight against Covid-19 was a major contributor to the unity of the Kingdom, noting that there were small numbers of infections.

“We went 52 days without any new Covid-19 cases and for more than five months with no deaths. After a short hiatus, we have fully reopened the country,” he added.