PHNOM PENH: The President of the National Assembly of Cambodia, Heng Samrin, has requested Australia to promote bilateral trade with Cambodia in the field of tourism, to assist in developing the country’s human resource capacity and to also increase scholarships for Cambodian students to pursue their studies in Australia.

The President of the National Assembly made these requests during a meeting with the new Australian Ambassador to Cambodia, Justin Whyatt, on Wednesday morning, 15 March 2023.

During the meeting, Ambassador Whyatt congratulated Cambodia on its progress and successful management of Covid-19. He also congratulated the National Assembly of Cambodia on the successful organization of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) last year, and recalled President Heng Samrin's visit to Australia in 2020 to attend the APPF Parliamentary Forum.

The Australian Ambassador affirmed that Australia will continue to support and strengthen cooperation with Cambodia in many areas, including health, economy, security, counter-terrorism, human rights and democracy.

The Cambodian National Assembly President, in turn, thanked the Government and people of Australia for their contribution to Cambodia’s peace process, as well as the continued development assistance provided to the Kingdom in areas such as agriculture, infrastructure, demining and more.

He requested the Australian side to continue supporting Cambodia by promoting bilateral trade, investment, tourism and human resource development by increasing the provision of scholarships to Cambodian students studying in Australia.