Phnom Penh: The Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) Food Festival was organised by the Embassy of India in Phnom Penh in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Embassies of Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Thailand in Phnom Penh, and Phnom Penh Municipal Administration. The food festival featuring signature cuisines from the MGC countries was inaugurated by Indian Ambassador H.E. Vanlalvawna Bawitlung along with representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and embassies of Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, and Vietnam.

According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, more than 12 Indian, Cambodian, Laotian, Myanmar, and Thai restaurants based in Phnom Penh put up food stalls at the festival. As a special feature, the spouses of the Indian Embassy added to the charm of the food festival by putting up a stall of homemade food and delicacies, and all the proceeds will go to charitable works in Cambodia.

With an iconic location on the Mekong riverside in fron
t of the Ounalom Pagoda in Phnom Penh, the festival enthralled crowds of people and tourists flocking to the newly launched Phnom Penh Riverside Walk Street. The Mekong Ganga Cooperation, established in the year 2000, has the distinction of being the oldest among the Mekong Cooperation mechanisms. The MGC has been carrying out many cooperative activities, and the MGC Food Festival was also part of the MGC Action Plan 2019-24. A new Action Plan is under formulation, with the year 2025 holding special significance as it marks the 25 years of the MGC.

Tourism and people-to-people connection are among the priority areas for the MGC and the food festival was a welcome addition to further strengthen the key initiatives such as Phnom Penh Walk Street by the Phnom Penh Municipal Administration and the Royal Government of Cambodia.