Phnom Penh: Cambodia and South Korea will sign a Free Trade Agreement early next month. This has been confirmed by Foreign Affairs Minister, Prak Sokhonn, on his return from a two-day official visit to the country. His office released the official outcomes of the visit late on Thursday. The FTA will further promote bilateral trade and investment, while also boosting the economic recovery of both countries in the post-pandemic era.
While in Seoul, the Minister also co-chaired the 11th Mekong-ROK Foreign Ministers’ Meeting with his Korean counterpart, Chung Eui-yong. This was attended by the Foreign Ministers of Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam via video conference.
Minister Prak Sokhonn’s office says the visit has strengthened bilateral relations for “the mutual interests of the two nations, as well as for peace, security, stability and prosperity in the region and beyond”. Cambodia and South Korea have also “deepened cooperation in the fields of defence, trade, investment, agriculture, labor, health, information and communication technology, science and innovation, tourism, education and the environment”.
The visit came ahead of the 25th anniversary of the resumption of diplomatic relations. The Minister says Cambodia expressed its gratitude to the Korean government under its “New Southern Policy” for providing development assistance to Cambodia, which has significantly contributed to the socio-economic development in the country. He also praised the Korean government and people for their effective containment of Covid-19 and the active role the country is playing in access to vaccines.
In turn, the Korean Foreign Minister commended the Royal Government’s efforts in laying out effective measures to combat the virus and its timely vaccination rollout. He also expressed thanks for Cambodia’s generous assistance to neighboring countries in their battle against the pandemic.
Cambodia is one of the ROK's priority partner countries in the official development assistance (ODA) program and a core partner in the ROK’s New Southern Policy, aiding in water management, public health, transportation, education and other areas of need in the kingdom.
