PHNOM PENH: Senior Finnish officials have praised Cambodia for successfully hosting the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting and related meetings in early August.

At the first Bilateral Consultation Meeting on Tuesday, 25 October 2022, the Director General of the Department for the Americas and Asia of the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jari Sinkari, praised Cambodia for its efforts in successfully organizing the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting and related meetings in Phnom Penh in early August 2022. He also wished Cambodia success in hosting the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and related meetings in November 2022.

The first bilateral consultative meeting between Cambodia and Finland was held on Tuesday afternoon at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The event was attended by Cambodian Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Chem Widhya, and the Director General of the Department for the Americas and Asia of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Jari Sinkari.

Secretary of State Chem Widhya thanked Finland for its assistance to Cambodia over the many years. He also remarked on Cambodia's political situation and economic development, as well as the activities Cambodia has been involved in as the 2022 ASEAN Chair.

The two sides noted the existing good cooperation between the two countries and agreed that this bilateral consultation meeting is an excellent, effective and important mechanism to help the two countries find common ground and further expand potential areas for future cooperation. The two sides also exchanged views on a number of regional and global issues of common interest and concern.

Concluding the meeting, the leaders of the two delegations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the establishment of bilateral consultations between the Cambodian and Finnish Ministries of Foreign Affairs. The second bilateral consultation between the two countries will be held in Helsinki in the near future.