Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni (C, front) and UNESCO's Director-General Audrey Azoulay (L, front) attend the closing ceremony of an event marking the 25th anniversary of the founding of the International Coordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor (ICC-Angkor), in Siem Reap, Cambodia, on Dec. 5, 2018. Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni on Wednesday attended the closing ceremony of an event marking the 25th anniversary of the founding of ICC-Angkor. (Xinhua/Sovannara)
SIEM REAP, Cambodia, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni attended here the closing ceremony of an event marking the 25th anniversary of the International Coordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor (ICC-Angkor).
Audrey Azoulay, director-general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), was also among hundreds of foreign guests taking part in the event, which was held in the Angkor's complex on Wednesday.
The closing ceremony began with speeches and was followed by a dinner entertained by traditional arts performances.
Addressing the ceremony, Sihamoni expressed his profound gratitude to friendly countries, the UNESCO and development partners for supporting the preservation and development of Angkor.
"This event clearly shows the historic success of an international mechanism in safeguarding and developing the Historic Site of Angkor sustainably," the monarch said.
The two-day event was opened on Tuesday by Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen.
ICC-Angkor was established in 1993, a year after the Angkor was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
It is the international mechanism for coordinating all assistance extended by different countries and organizations for preserving and developing the Angkor.
Prof. Azedine Beschaouch, scientific secretary for the ICC-Angkor, said that more than 10 million U.S. dollars has been spent annually for the preservation and development of the Angkor.
Key donors are China, France, Japan, and India among others. China has been involved in the restoration work on ruined temples in the complex of the Angkor since 1997.
Located in northwest Cambodia's Siem Reap province, the 401-sq-km Historic Site of Angkor is the most popular tourist destination in the Southeast Asian nation.
The ancient site attracted 2.32 million foreign visitors in the first 11 months of 2018, generating a gross revenue of 104 million U.S. dollars from ticket sales, according to a government report.?
