PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Hun Sen has requested the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, to further increase investment and rice imports from Cambodia to New Zealand. The Prime Minister of Cambodia made this request during a bilateral meeting with the New Zealand Prime Minister on Sunday, 13 November 2022.
Prime Minister Hun Sen thanked Prime Minister Ardern for New Zealand's contribution to the peace process in Cambodia, and for providing continued support for Cambodia's socioeconomic development, especially in the fields of education, agriculture, renewable energy, and demining.
He also thanked New Zealand for its ongoing support of Cambodia's development of its human resources, particularly by offering scholarships for Cambodian students and government officials.
During the meeting, the two leaders discussed ways to further expand bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, education, and people-to-people connections between Cambodia and New Zealand.
Prime Minister Hun Sen encouraged stronger trade ties by increasing Cambodian rice imports to New Zealand, and New Zealand investments in the agro-industrial sector, such as in rice mills.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern congratulated the Prime Minister of Cambodia on his success in hosting and chairing the ASEAN Summit and related summits, as well as on his wise leadership in successfully leading Cambodia through the Covid-19 pandemic.
Regarding ASEAN-New Zealand relations, Prime Minister Hun Sen thanked Prime Minister Ardern for New Zealand's support of Cambodia as the 2022 ASEAN Chair and commended New Zealand for its efforts to deepen the ASEAN-New Zealand Strategic Partnership.
The two leaders also exchanged views on regional and international issues, during which Prime Minister Hun Sen highlighted the complexity of the Myanmar crisis and Cambodia's efforts as the ASEAN Chair to promote the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus (5PC) on Myanmar.
He also reiterated Cambodia's opposition to the threat of nuclear weapons to the Prime Minister of New Zealand, and reaffirmed Cambodia's steadfast adherence to its Constitution, which prohibits the presence of foreign military bases on Cambodian territory.
Prime Minister Hun Sen stressed that the only purpose of renovating the Ream Naval Base was to strengthen the capacity of the Cambodian Navy in order to protect the country's maritime integrity.
