H.E. SOK Chenda Sophea, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, concluded a two-day visit to the Republic of Türkiye on May 29, his first official visit outside Asia.
According to a press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation issued this morning, H.E. Deputy Prime Minister had productive and in-depth discussions with H.E. Hakan FIDAN, the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs. He also called on H.E. Dr. Numan KURTULMUŞ, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly, and H.E. Cevdet YILMAZ, the Turkish Vice President. Other dignitaries met included H.E. Dr. Ömer BOLAT, Minister of Trade, H.E. Fahrettin ALTUN, Head of Media and Communications in the Turkish Presidency, H.E. Zafer SIRAKAYA, Vice Chairman and Foreign Affairs Chairman of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party, and H.E. Serkan KAYALAR, President of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA). H.E. Deputy Prime Minister also visited Atatürk’s Mausoleum to pay homage to the Founding Father of Türkiye.
H.E. SOK Chenda Sophea expressed deep appreciation for the warm hospitality extended to the Cambodian delegation during visits to Istanbul and Ankara, which commemorated the 65th anniversary of Cambodia-Türkiye diplomatic relations. He informed his hosts that he aimed to highlight the excellent ties between Cambodia and Türkiye, strengthen bilateral relations and expand the depth and scope of cooperation in various fields. He said the visit also aimed to implement the consensus reached by leaders of the two countries in 2018, particularly in boosting bilateral trade to US$1 billion. H.E. SOK Chenda Sophea expressed gratitude for Türkiye’s assistance to Cambodia in human resource training, healthcare and rural development.
On political relations, both sides noted with satisfaction the frequent high-level exchanges of visits in recent years and committed to further encourage engagement and cooperation between executive and legislative bodies at all levels. They applauded the successful convening of the Third Bilateral Consultations between the two Foreign Ministries this year and looked forward to the fourth round of consultations in Cambodia next year.
On trade and investment, both sides agreed on the need for direct flights between Türkiye and Cambodia. Thus, Türkiye will endeavour to encourage Turkish Airlines to start direct flights to Cambodia as soon as possible to facilitate trade, investment and tourism. The two sides acknowledged the vast potential for future investments in areas such as agro-industry, education, food processing, green energy development and tourism.
H.E. SOK Chenda Sophea urged his Turkish hosts to view Cambodia as part of a vast Southeast Asian market of more than 650 million people, connected by a network of regional and bilateral trade agreements. These include the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (AFTA), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and Cambodia’s free-trade agreements with China and the Republic of Korea.
On regional and international issues, the two sides shared the view that Türkiye’s Asia Anew Initiative for economic and trade cooperation with Asian partners fits well with Cambodia’s priorities and cooperation under the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP). They committed to further consolidate and expand cooperation in regional and global fora, and reached common ground on major international crises.
In Istanbul on May 28, H.E. SOK Chenda Sophea addressed a business luncheon where he highlighted Cambodian opportunities to be tapped for mutual benefit. He met separately with three Turkish companies which intend to expand their businesses to Cambodia. In addition, he met with students and other members of the Cambodian community.
The official visit concluded in Ankara on May 29 with the signing of five documents on cooperation in areas such as halal accreditation, media and communications, higher education and forestry.
