Phnom Penh (FN), Mar. 7 – Cambodian Delegate Minister Jean François Tan presented key achievements of the bilateral talks between Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and other leaders at the ASEAN-Australia Special Summits.

Jean François Tan spoke during a press conference on Thursday (Mar. 7) after Samdech Thipadei concluded his visit to Australia.

Delegate Minister Jean François Tan underlined that Australia will initiate the development of a clear Australian economic strategy for Southeast Asia. Within the framework of this strategy, Australia plans to collaborate with Cambodia in several areas, including agriculture, education, and tourism. In the realm of tourism, Cambodia and Australia have signed an agreement on air freight services to enhance communication in the tourism sector.

Jean François Tan added that tourism was a significant focal point of the bilateral discussions between Prime Minister Hun Manet and other five top leaders:

Cambodia-Viet Nam: Promoted the implementation of the three-country, one-destination initiative, which involves cooperation on tourism among Cambodia, Viet Nam, and another country in the region.

Cambodia-Singapore: Encouraged the private sector to develop joint tourism packages to facilitate the rapid recovery of tourists from both countries post-COVID19 crisis.

Cambodia-Indonesia: Encouraged professional institutions and the private sector to explore the possibility of connecting tourist destinations between the two countries.

Cambodia-the Philippines: Expressed the desire to see increased collaboration between the private sectors of both countries to boost tourism flows. Additionally, explored the potential for increasing direct flights to major tourist destinations in both countries.

Delegate Minister Jean François Tan underscored that the trade sector was also a crucial topic during the bilateral meeting between Samdech Hun Manet and the top leaders. Specifically, Cambodia and the Philippines decided to boost bilateral trade, focusing on the exchange of rice and other agricultural products. Additionally, Cambodia and Viet Nam committed to increasing bilateral trade volume to USD 20 billion in the near future.

Furthermore, the delegate minister added that Cambodia and Indonesia agreed to encourage relevant institutions to effectively expand rice trade between the two countries. This discussion took place during the bilateral meeting between Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet and the other six leaders, who pledged to enhance cooperation in various areas, including politics, defence, and security.
=FRESH NEWS