Phnom Penh (FN), Aug. 31 – The newly-appointed Australian Ambassador to Cambodia Derek Yip officially began his mission after presenting the Letter of Credence to Cambodian President of the Senate Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Friday (Aug. 30).
The ambassador and his spouse have been in Cambodia for two weeks. While presenting his Letter of Credence, the ambassador expressed admiration for Cambodia's vibrant economy and the warm hospitality of its people.
Derek Yip stated that it is a great honour for him to serve in Cambodia. He informed Samdech Techo that the Australian Government has always prioritised diplomatic relations with Cambodia, given the long history of strong ties and cooperation between the two countries.
In addition, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has consistently prioritised and paid close attention to Australia-Cambodia bilateral relations, noting Cambodia's significance as an important and influential member of ASEAN. Australia values its relationship with ASEAN, being ASEAN's first dialogue partner, and this year marks the 50th anniversary of the ASEAN-Australia Dialogue Partnership.
Ambassador Derek Yip also underlined that Cambodia offers many areas for potential cooperation with Australia, including the economy, health, agriculture, education, security and defence, demining, and more, as has been the case in the past.
The ambassador also informed Samdech Techo Hun Sen that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the Australian Scholarship program for Cambodian students. By 2025, Australia plans to increase the number of scholarships from 45 to 62, starting in February.
After reflecting on the history of relations and cooperation, the Australian ambassador committed to fulfilling his diplomatic mission with great responsibility to achieve fruitful results and contribute to Cambodia's development in all fields, in alignment with the trust placed in him by the Australian leadership.
For his part, Samdech Techo Hun Sen considered the swift commencement of duties by the newly-appointed Australian ambassador to Cambodia reflects the Australian Government's strong commitment to fostering friendly relations and cooperation between Cambodia and Australia. Samdech Techo expressed his hope that the new ambassador will continue to work diligently to further strengthen and expand relations and cooperation in all areas between the two countries.
Samdech Techo Hun Sen expressed his satisfaction and appreciation for the progress in Cambodia-Australia relations and cooperation at bilateral, regional, and ASEAN levels.
Samdech Techo recalled that Cambodia holds deep appreciation for Australia, as it was the first country to recognise Cambodia's independence in 1952, even before Cambodia formally gained independence in 1953.
Australia was also a leading country in refusing to recognise the Khmer Rouge at the United Nations, while other major nations that promoted democracy and human rights recognised the regime. During Cambodia’s pursuit of peace, Australian leadership played a crucial role in various stages of coordination, culminating in the Paris Peace Agreements.
Samdech Techo noted that few countries in the world have agreed to collaborate with others in compiling a National Defence White Paper, but Cambodia and Australia share mutual trust, making such cooperation possible.
Samdech Techo also expressed gratitude to Australia for providing English language training to Cambodia’s peacekeeping forces before their deployment on UN peacekeeping missions abroad. Samdech Techo further mentioned that Australia has been instrumental in assisting Cambodia with demining efforts and urged continued support to help Cambodia achieve its goal of becoming mine-free by 2025.
During the meeting, Samdech Techo also invited Australia to participate in the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production, and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and Destruction of Mines (Ottawa Convention), which Cambodia will host in November 2024. As a country actively clearing mines and unexploded ordnance from its own wars, Cambodia has also been training other nations (including Colombia and Ukraine) in demining techniques and sending troops to conflict zones.
Samdech Techo also thanked the Australian Government for increasing the number of scholarships for Cambodian students from 45 to 62. He noted that, in addition to scholarship recipients, many Cambodian students choose to study in Australia due to its proximity to Europe and the United States, its high quality of education, and cultural similarities with Asia, which many parents find appealing.
Regarding bilateral trade and investment, Samdech Techo acknowledged Australia's various contributions to Cambodia but pointed out that Australian investment remains relatively low. He urged the newly-appointed ambassador to encourage more Australian investors to explore Cambodia's many potential sectors. He cited the example of an Australian company successfully refining gold in Mondulkiri.
Samdech Techo invited the Australian Ambassador Derek Yip to visit the Australian company in Mondulkiri and to tour all of Cambodia's provinces and cities, underlining that Cambodia is now peaceful, with much-improved infrastructure. He encouraged the ambassador not to hesitate to engage with Cambodian ministers or authorities to expand trade and investment relations, which would serve as a cornerstone for a robust political relationship between the two nations.
=FRESH NEWS
