Hungary (FN), June 14 – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen thanked Hungary for supporting the kingdom to maintain EU's Everything But Arms preferential trade scheme in a just manner, speaking in a courtesy call on Hungarian President Janos Ader on 14 June.
"Prime Minister Hun Sen thanks Hungary for its support. All the kingdom wants is justice," delegate minister Kao Kim Hourn quoted the premier.
The president thanks Cambodian premier for the first official visit, stating that the visit contributes to strengthening Cambodia-Hungary relations.
Both also exchanged views on climate change and natural resource management.
Cambodia and Hungary established diplomatic ties on 20 September 1956 but was interrupted Phnom Penh fell into Khmer Rouge regime in 1975.
Prime Minister Hun Sen said that although the two countries had previously closed embassies in their respective countries, the premier wants to reopen the embassy in order to strengthen the relations and expand comprehensive cooperation on economic, trade and tourism sectors.
Premier Hun Sen conveyed His Majesty King's regards to the president and invited him for official visit to Cambodia, which the president accepted for time ahead.
The Strongman also pledged to attend Budapest Water Summit in 2019 in October.
Regarding bilateral relations, Hungary has provided HUF 100 million (USD 350,000) to the State of Cambodia for the construction of Kompong Kantout orphanage of Cambodia, France, and Hungary in Kandal province in the late 1980s, and in 1997, the Hungarian Red Cross provided medical aid, worth of USD 10,000 to flood victims in Cambodia.
On human resource development, from 1980-1991, Hungary has trained a total of 195 Cambodian students. From 2014 to 2018, at least 50 Cambodian students received scholarships under the Sripendium Hungarian Program to study bachelor's and master's degrees in fields such as agriculture, humanities, engineering, economics, natural sciences, and more. This year, 29 Cambodian students are studying in Hungary.
During this 2019 official visit of Prime Minister Hun Sen, Cambodia-Hungary signed three agreements, including:
(1) Agreement between the Royal Government of Cambodia and the Government of Hungary on Economic Cooperation;
(2) Education Exchange Program between the Cambodian Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport and the Ministry of Human Resources of Hungary for 2020-2022; and
(3) a Memorandum of Understanding on Human Resource Development Cooperation between Cambodian National Institute of Tourism and the University of Milton Friedman University in Hungary.
=FRESH NEWS
