PHNOM PENH: National Assembly President Heng Samrin encouraged the new Pakistani Ambassador to Cambodia to enhance cooperation and promote trade, tourism, education and culture with Cambodia to bring benefits to both nations as well as to contribute to regional and global peace and progress.

He made the remarks while the new Ambassador of Pakistan; Zaheeruddin Babar Thaheem paid a courtesy call this morning at the National Assembly.

He said that the National Assembly of Cambodia and Pakistan have maintained good relations and cooperation with each other, especially in the field of parliamentary diplomacy, by supporting each other in regional and global inter-parliamentary forums.

He also stated that the National Assembly of Cambodia has supported the Pakistani Parliament as the Vice President of the IPU and will be present at the AIPA General Assembly, which the Cambodian Parliament will host at the end of 2022.

The Ambassador of Pakistan to Cambodia, Zaheeruddin Babar Thaheem requested the President of the National Assembly to continue to help strengthen the parliamentary relations between the two countries to be stronger and more comprehensive.

He stated that during his tenure as Ambassador of Pakistan to Cambodia, he wanted to strengthen the relationship between Cambodia and Pakistan, as the two countries have established diplomatic relations for more than 70 years.

According to data from the OEC World, the trade volume between Cambodia and Pakistan in 2019 was more than 48 million US dollars, of which Cambodia exported only about 1.2 million US dollars to Pakistan.

Diplomatic relations between Cambodia and Pakistan began on 28 May 1952 and has lasted for 70 years. Pakistan has its embassy in Phnom Penh, while Cambodia has an honorary consulate in Lahore, Pakistan.