Phnom Penh (FN), Jun. 5 – Cambodian Senate President, Samdech Techo Hun Sen urged Indonesia to consider investing directly in Cambodia to establish a production, storage, milling, and packaging system for export to Indonesia and other countries.
Samdech Techo Hun Sen received a courtesy call by Indonesian Ambassador to Cambodia Santo Darmosumarto on Wednesday morning (Jun. 5) at the Senate.
Samdech Techo underlined the potential in the agricultural sector, noting that in 2023, Indonesia began importing rice from Cambodia and expressed interest in investing in rice production in Cambodia.
In the field of trade, the ambassador noted that the current volume of trade between Cambodia and Indonesia is about USD 1 billion and has not yet reached its full potential. He underlined that Cambodia is a strong partner with significant potential to boost trade volume.
He also informed Samdech Techo that the Indonesian Embassy will hold a health fair in Sihanoukville later this year to showcase health products to the Cambodian public. He expressed interest in cooperation in the transport sector, particularly in the railway sector.
The ambassador praised Samdech Techo as a good and true friend of Indonesia, who has contributed to the historic relationship, especially in cooperation within the ASEAN framework. He also congratulated Cambodia on its success as chair of ASEAN in 2022 and on the continuation of Indonesia's chairmanship of ASEAN, building on Cambodia's achievements in 2023.
He also conveyed greetings from President Joko Widodo and President-elect Prabowo Subianto, who will take office in October. As the ambassador of Indonesia to Cambodia, he is committed to further strengthening the Cambodia-Indonesia relationship and cooperation, especially the people-to-people connection and improving services to Indonesian citizens living in Cambodia.
For his part, Samdech Techo Hun Sen underlined that the new Royal Government, led by Prime Minister Hun Manet, will continue to work with the ambassador to strengthen cooperation in all fields. He congratulated Prabowo Subianto on his success in the Indonesian presidential election in October.
Samdech Techo Hun Sen underscored that the two countries have a long-standing relationship with no history of problems. He recalled working with Indonesian leadership to bring peace and solutions to Cambodia, highlighting Indonesia's efforts as co-chair of the Paris Conference and the Jakarta Informal Meeting (JIM) 1 & 2 in Indonesia. He also mentioned his cooperation with Indonesian presidents, including Joko Widodo.
In gratitude to Indonesia, Cambodia has named two streets after Indonesian dignitaries, Sukarno Street and Ali Alatas Street, recognising their contributions to finding peaceful solutions for Cambodia.
For cooperation and investment, Samdech Techo made the following recommendations:
1. Cambodia has food security with an abundance of rice. Cambodia could provide a stable food supply. Samdech Techo urged Indonesia to invest directly in Cambodia by setting up a production, storage, and milling system that could be packaged for export to Indonesia or other countries. This direct investment would be mutually beneficial, helping Cambodian farmers access markets and providing Indonesia with long-term food security.
2. Samdech Techo observed that while trade volume has increased, the potential of both countries has not yet been fully realised. Both sides need to explore ways to further boost trade growth, leveraging agreements within the frameworks of AFTA and RCEP.
3. Samdech Techo instructed the ambassador to work with the Cambodian Ministry of Health and expressed interest in the progress of Indonesia's technology sector.
On the occasion, Samdech Techo also asked the Indonesian ambassador to convey his greetings to President Joko Widodo and President-elect Prabowo Subianto.
=FRESH NEWS
