PHNOM PENH, Jan. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- The new compound of the U.S. embassy in Cambodia started operating on Tuesday.

    The sturdy 60 million U.S. dollar structure is a very high tech building, which U.S. officials claim to be one of the most secure U.S. embassies yet built.

    Located near Wat Phnom, the new 6.2 hectare site accommodates an 8,000 square meter embassy building.

    The inauguration ceremony saw the participation of U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli, Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong and other senior government officials.

    Hor Namhong said the completion of the new embassy will further promote the relations between Cambodia and the United States.

    U.S. officials have said the new site is a sign of the deepening diplomatic relations between the United States and Cambodia, and claimed it marks a more stable relationship between the two countries, according to local media report.

    A previous U.S. embassy was evacuated on April 12, 1975 and a 16-year break in relations between Cambodia and the United States followed.

    Formal ties were re-established on Nov. 11, 1991, with the opening of a U.S. mission in Phnom Penh. Full diplomatic relations resumed two years later. Enditem