AKP Phnom Penh, November 05, 2025 --

H.E. Dr. Chea Chanboribo, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Cambodia to the Republic of Bulgaria, has become the first Cambodian academician to deliver a formal lecture at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski," one of Bulgaria’s oldest and most prestigious academic institutions.

Invited by the university’s leadership, Dr. Chanboribo presented a comprehensive overview of his nation’s political and historical evolution to students from the Faculty of History and Political Science. 

The lecture, titled “Cambodia’s National Journey Through 15 Eras,” traced Cambodia’s trajectory from the ancient grandeur of the Angkor civilisation to its modern era of peace, stability, and progress.

Dr. Chanboribo described the event as a “meaningful milestone,” highlighting that it marked the first time Sofia University had formally invited a Cambodian academician to share insights on the country’s history, politics, and development with an international academic audience.

The presentation, which featured 153 slides and four documentary videos, illuminated major turning points in Cambodia’s long history, including:

• The 1953 Independence: The historic achievement under the leadership of His Majesty the late King Norodom Sihanouk, which restored Cambodia’s full sovereignty after decades of French colonial rule.

• The 1970 Coup d'état: The event that transformed the monarchy into the Khmer Republic under Lon Nol, leading to years of political turmoil and the ousting of Prince Sihanouk.

• The Khmer Rouge Regime (1975–1979): Recognised as one of the darkest periods in Cambodian history, during which more than three million innocent people perished in the genocide.

• The January 7, 1979 Liberation: The freeing of Cambodia from the genocidal regime, following the efforts of Samdech Techo Hun Sen, who risked his life to seek assistance and organise the national salvation movement.

A key focus of the lecture was Cambodia’s journey toward national reconciliation. Dr. Chanboribo emphasised Samdech Techo Hun Sen’s peace vision, anchored in the belief that “war cannot be ended by war.”

He detailed the crucial years of negotiation with His Majesty the late King-Father Norodom Sihanouk between 1985 and 1991, which culminated in the landmark 1991 Paris Peace Agreements. Following the accords, Cambodia adopted a new Constitution, reestablished the constitutional monarchy, and outlawed the Khmer Rouge movement.

Despite facing multiple assassination attempts, Samdech Techo remained steadfast, eventually leading the country to complete peace and national unity by 1999 through his decisive “Win-Win Policy.”

The presentation highlighted Cambodia’s subsequent new era of national reconstruction and economic development. 

The end of civil conflict saw the country achieve rapid and sustained economic growth, averaging over 7 percent annually for more than two decades, until the global COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

This period of rapid development dramatically transformed Cambodia’s landscape in key sectors, including infrastructure, education, public health, and social welfare. Today, Cambodia is highlighted as a peaceful and politically stable nation, progressing steadily within the ASEAN region.

Concluding his address, which was drawn from his extensive 1,800-page doctoral dissertation in Political Economy, Dr. Chanboribo encouraged the students to deeply study their nations’ past, offering a reflective closing thought: “History is the interpretation of the future.”

By K. Rithy Reak