The Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation this afternoon issued a press release on the outcome of the day-long visit of H.E. Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia, to Cambodia on Mar. 27.
Phnom Penh, 27 March 2023- At the invitation of Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo HUN Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, His Excellency Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia, concluded his first official visit to the Kingdom of Cambodia on 27 March 2023 aimed at further deepening the long-standing robust bilateral ties across the board between the two countries.
During this one-day official visit, His Excellency Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim was granted a royal audience to His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Boromneath NORODOM Sihamoni, King of Cambodia, at the Royal Palace. Moreover, he paid separate courtesy calls on Samdech Vibol Sena Pheakdey SAY Chhum, President of the Senate, and Samdech Akka Moha Ponhea Chakrei HENG Samrin, President of the National Assembly of Cambodia.
At the bilateral meeting, Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo HUN Sen briefed Cambodia’s political and economic situation, including the preparation for the 32nd SEA Games and 12th ASEAN Para Games. His Excellency Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim praised Samdech Techo Prime Minister for his stewardship of Cambodia, including the successful settlement of conflicts, maintenance of peace and development.
Both Prime Ministers reiterated their commitment to further advancing wide-ranging areas of mutually beneficial cooperation, including trade and investment, tourism, agriculture, human resource development, energy and connectivity, labor, and security and defense.
They agreed to task the two countries’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs to resume the 3rd Meeting of the Cambodia-Malaysia Joint Commission as soon as possible to review the ongoing collaboration, explore new fields of cooperation, and chart a new course of action to further strengthen and broaden the partnership.
On trade and investment, the two Prime Ministers noted with satisfaction the rising bilateral trade volume and recognized the huge potential. Samdech Techo Prime Minister encouraged Malaysian businesspeople to consider investing in rice, cashew nuts, bicycle, and Halal industries, taking into account a range of incentives under the new Law on Investment of Cambodia. His Excellency Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim pledged to encourage Malaysian businesspeople to consider investing in Cambodia’s various spheres, including rice and cashew nuts, and agreed to offer Halal industry-related training and experiences to Cambodia in order to increase exports to Muslim countries, particularly the Middle East.
As for tourism, Samdech Techo Prime Minister stressed the significance of direct flights and the effective implementation of the 2019-signed MOU on Tourism Cooperation and sought Malaysia’s technical assistance in the Halal industry with a view to receiving Muslim tourists to the Kingdom more extensively.
Concerning agriculture, the two Prime Ministers encouraged the effective application of the two signed MoUs concerning bamboo industry and agriculture cooperation. His Excellency Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim commended Cambodia for the rice surplus and pledged to encourage Malaysian firms to consider importing Cambodian rice.
Regarding human resource development, Samdech Techo Prime Minister thanked Malaysia for providing more training to the Cambodian government’s officials under the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Program (MTCP) and the Malaysian Defense Cooperation Program (MDCP), and sought Malaysia’s experience-sharing on the digital economy.
At the request of the Cambodian side, His Excellency Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim pledged to facilitate the building of the subsea power transmission cables, which need to cross the sea border of Malaysia, as part of the green power trade project between Cambodia and Singapore.
On labor, at the request of Samdech Techo Prime Minister on the facilitation of the Cambodian workers, His Excellency Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim assured that Malaysia permits overstaying workers to register until the end of 2023 and to continue their job in Malaysia. The proposed recognition of Cambodian workers’ travel documents was also raised.
As for security and defence, His Excellency Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim thanked Cambodian authorities for rescuing Malaysian citizens from the job scam syndicates. A number of initiatives were proposed to jointly combat transnational crimes, including human smuggling and money laundering.
The two Prime Ministers exchanged views on regional and international issues and agreed to mutually support each other in multilateral frameworks, including the United Nations and the Organization on Islamic Cooperation. His Excellency Dato' Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim congratulated Cambodia on the successful ASEAN Chairmanship last year and stressed other ASEAN Member States he had visited shared the same sentiment that Cambodia had done well to strengthen the ASEAN despite the difficult role. Furthermore, he applauded Cambodia for respecting the minority, including the Muslim community.
They witnessed the signing of the two MoUs on the Recruitment, Employment and Repatriation of Workers and Domestic Workers.
Later on the same day, His Excellency Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim joined Samdech Techo Prime Minister for the Iftar dinner, and participated in the Isya’ and Terawikh prayer with Muslim scholars and community in Cambodia.
Samdech Techo Prime Minister accepted with pleasure His Excellency Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim’s cordial invitation to pay an official visit to Malaysia at a mutually convenient time. ENDS
Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse