Phnom Penh: The Australian government is to provide $90 million in cash assistance to Cambodia, in line with its five-year development program in the kingdom. The announcement was made by Australia’s Ambassador to Cambodia, Pablo Kang, during his virtual meeting on Wednesday with the Minister of Economy and Finance, Aun Pornmoniroth, who is also the Chairman of the Supreme National Economic Council.

The Minister says government’s current top priority is fighting the spread of Covid-19 and building the country’s capacity to deal with the “new normal”. He says, “The Royal Government is preparing a plan for economic recovery after the Covid-19 crisis, focusing on three key principles: recovery, reform and resilience (3Rs), which focus on supporting many priority areas”, especially those hardest hit b y the pandemic.

The Australian Ambassador says in line with the Cambodian government’s priorities, the Australian government's financial and technical assistance will be aligned with them. Ambassador Kang says they will help the Cambodian government in the context of the Covid-19 outbreak which will significantly contribute to the kingdom’s implementation of its economic recovery plan.

Minister Pornmoniroth expressed his “deep gratitude” to the Australian government for its efforts in providing developmental cooperation, especially in agriculture through the Cambodia Agricultural Value Chain Program. The Minister also acknowledged the Australian Ambassador’s pledge of support to Cambodia for its chairmanship of ASEAN next year.