PHNOM PENH: The Government of Australia has pledged to provide an aid grant worth US $107 million to Cambodia under the Cambodia-Australia Partnership for Resilient Economic Development (CAP-RED) programme for eight years, from 2022-2030.

The information was released in a statement issued after the meeting between the Minister of Economy and Finance, DPM Aun Pornmoniroth, and the Australian Ambassador to Cambodia, Pablo Kang, on Thursday, 31 March.

The grant will be extended over two stages – US $65 million will be delivered between 2022 to 2027 and the remaining US $42 million from 2028 to 2030.

During the meeting, DPM Aun Pornmoniroth expressed his profound thanks to the Government and people of Australia for their assistance to Cambodia in combating the Covid-19 pandemic. He said Australia always supports Cambodia's socio-economic development through the provision of technical and financial assistance in a number of key areas, such as agriculture, infrastructure, education, energy, and more.

On his part, Ambassador Kang underlined the long-standing and close cooperation between the Government of Australia and the Royal Government of Cambodia, reaffirming Australia’s cooperation with and support for Cambodia.

This year, Cambodia and Australia mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations.