Prime Minister Hun Sen said yesterday that Cambodia and Maldives will work together to boost trade and tourism sectors. On the first day of his three-day visit from January 16-18, Mr Hun Sen met Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. Six major agreements were signed yesterday, and more are likely to be inked.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Maldives, Mr Hun Sen said both countries can exchange goods with each other. Cambodia will be able to export its agriculture and apparel products to Maldives, and Maldives can import its canned fish products to the former at the first stage of the expanding bilateral
trade volume.
The Premier pointed out that Cambodia will export high-end rice that has been ranked as the world’s best rice to Maldives along with other agricultural products such as cashew, mangoes and bananas to serve both its local consumers and tourists visiting this country, especially its beautiful and attractive sea.
“We will really be able to expand our trade volume between the two countries as Cambodia has goods that can be imported to Maldives such as rice… I hope that our rice will become popular with the people Maldives and tourists who visit this country. We also have clothes that Maldives can order from us. These are our expectations,” said Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Cambodia actually has both sea and freshwater fish, but they are not enough, which means canned fish products would most likely be the goods that can be exported from Maldives in the initial stage of the goods exchange as Cambodian people consume this product in huge quantities.
“It is very easy for us to distribute to the people. So, the first product that can be exported to Cambodia would be the canned fish that are produced by Maldives,” said Mr Hun Sen, adding that this product made in Maldives would not only be supplied to local consumers but also to foreign tourists flocking from different parts of the world.
Cambodia received 6.6 million tourists during the pre-pandemic period, according to Prime Minister Hun Sen, adding that both nations will also conduct a study on bilateral tourism cooperation by creating joint tour packages that allow tourists to both visit Angkor Wat Temples of Cambodia and enjoy relaxation and swimming at the great sea in Maldives.
The Premier also said tourists who enjoy relaxation or swimming at the great sea in Maldives will also be allowed to visit Angkor Wat Temples either under the joint tour package and one visa for two destinations with thirty-day validity—one in Cambodia and one in Maldives. “We will study this point further,” Prime Minister Hun Sen after Ibrahim Mohamed Solih delivered his statement.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said Maldives wishes to boost bilateral trade with Cambodia as the country is a main exporter of high-end rice and other agricultural products. “We discussed with each other about importing other agricultural products from Cambodia such as corns, cassavas and fruits. We will need to import wooden products and clothes,” he said.
Prime Minister Hun Sen and President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih yesterday presided over signing ceremony for two agreements and four Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs). The first agreement is on visa exemption for diplomatic, official and ordinary people, while the second on is about economic cooperation.
The first MoU was signed to cover international relations between the two countries. The second MoU is about the development of cooperation in the tourism sector and the third one is to concentrate on the cooperation in health sector, while the last MoU was signed between the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce (CCC) and the National Chamber of Commerce of Maldives.
This article was first published in Khmer Times. All contents and images are copyright to their respective owners and sources.
