PHNOM PENH: The President of the 76th United Nations General Assembly, Abdulla Shahid, has stated his intention to strengthen trade relations between the Maldives and Cambodia, with the suggestion that Cambodia could become a source of food supply to the South Asian nation.

Speaking at a meeting with Prime Minister Hun Sen at the Peace Palace on Monday morning, 22 August, the UNGA President, Abdulla Shahid, who is also the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives, confirmed to Prime Minister Hun Sen that he will work with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cambodia to encourage Maldivian investors to examine trade potential with Cambodia to boost economic cooperation between the two countries.

Prime Minister Hun Sen said he supported this idea and informed the UNGA President of the benefits of investing in Cambodia, especially in the agricultural sector.

The Prime Minister’s Assistant, Eang Sophalleth, gave a press briefing to reporters after the meeting and quoted the Prime Minister as saying, “The favor in investing, especially investing in agriculture, includes the installation of rice mills, investment in rice warehouses and the collection of rice from farmers to grind and for export to other countries."

The Republic of Maldives is an independent state in the middle of the Indian Ocean with an area of 297.8 square kilometers and a population of over 540,000 people. According to UN Comtrade, trade relations between Cambodia and the Maldives in 2020 amounted to more than US $5,000, down from more than US $40,000 in 2016.

^{PHOTO: KOK KY}