The Minister of Public Works and Transport Peng Ponea, on Sep 14, led a delegation from the Ministry to inspect the progress of the Stung Bot-Ban Nong Ian International Border Gate project. The Stung Bot International Gate Project is located in Poipet City, Banteay Meanchey Province. The project started construction on April 22, 2019 under the high presidency of former Prime Minister Hun Sen, with an amount of about $26.42 million. Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, floods, and some contract changes, the project was postponed. As of September 14, 2023, the project had reached 91.26%. Along with the project to set up an international border gate checkpoint for good to cross the Cambodian-Thai border, the Royal Government of Cambodia has also built a bridge connecting with the Thai side, which has been nicknamed the “Cambodia-Thailand Friendship Bridge Stung Bot-Ban Nong Ian”. The bridge is 620 metres long (215 metres on the Cambodian side and 405 metres on the Thai side) and 17 metres wide. The construction site was opened on March 20, 2017 and completed on January 15, 2019, at a cost of about 670 million baht (about $19 million). The inspection of this international border gate project is necessary in order to monitor and evaluate the construction work and expedite its completion as soon as possible in order to facilitate traffic, transportation of goods, and trade across the Cambodian-Thai border. The Stung Bot-Ban Nong Ian International Border Gate Project is a long-term vision to bring great benefits to the national economy through cross-border trade and job creation for the people, as well as achieving the ASEAN vision of connecting countries in the entire ASEAN region (Asean Connectivity).