HANOI, April 12. /TASS/. The unveiling ceremony of Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s bust took place in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the Russian Embassy in Cambodia told TASS that the bust, created by sculptor Alexey Leonov and gifted to the city by the Dialogue of Cultures - United World Foundation, had been installed on the premises of the Institute of Technology of Cambodia, built with the Soviet Union’s assistance in the 1960s.
Russian Ambassador to Cambodia Anatoly Borovik emphasized that Russia, who had built the road to space for mankind, consistently supported broad international cooperation in the peaceful exploration of space.
The envoy pointed out that Moscow and Phnom Penh had always placed great importance on bilateral cooperation in the field of education and personnel training. Over the years of friendship and cooperation, more than 8,000 highly qualified Cambodian specialists received education and training in the Soviet Union and Russia, many of whom now work in various industries and hold high positions in Cambodia’s governmental organizations. Russia and Cambodia continue educational cooperation to this day. Hundreds of Cambodian students come to study in Russian universities every year based on educational quotas allocated by the Russian government.