PHNOM PENH: The two days visit of the Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maris Payne in Cambodia have yielded a fruitful outcome. The Australian Foreign Minister has relayed Australia’s commitment to provide over two million doses of Pfizer vaccine to Cambodia. Prime Minister Hun Sen as well as the Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn have expressed gratitude to Australia’s continuous support along with the growing bilateral and multilateral cooperation between the two countries.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne has paid a courtesy visit to Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday. She has confirmed to the Prime Minister that Austalia will provide 2.35 million doses of Pfizer vaccine to aid in Cambodia’s fight against Covid-19. The first one million will arrive in the kingdom by the end of this year.

They have also discussed about the Trilateral Security Partnership or AUKUS. Payne has reaffirmed to the Cambodian Prime Minister that their participation in AUKUS is aimed at acquiring nuclear powered submarine in order to develop the capacity of its, navy. She says they have no intention to establish a civil nuclear capability and that Australia remains committed to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons in the region.

The Australian Foreign Minister has also re-affirmed Australia’s commitment to continue assisting and cooperating with Cambodia in various areas such as economic development, demining, agriculture, health, and education, particularly the continuous provision of scholarship to Cambodian students every year under the Australia Awards scholarships and Mekong-Australia Partnership programs.

Payne has also met with her Cambodian counterpart, Prak Sokhonn. Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn has expressed gratitude towards the Australian government for their support through the Official Development Assistance, particularly the assistance towards Cambodia’s urgent need in the fight against the pandemic.

Since Payne is also the Minister of Women’s Affairs in Australia, she has also paid a visit to Cambodia’s Minister of Women’s Affairs, Ing Kanta Phavi and visited Cambodian Women’s Crisis Centre. She has committed to support Cambodia with the promotion of gender equality and addressing violence against women.