Cambodia, Iran boost bilateral cooperation

Cambodia, Iran boost bilateral cooperation

by Chhorng Long Heng


Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation H.E. Hor Nam Hong on 16 August said that sanction of Iran is not resolution. The deal should happen through coordination and peaceful deal,” he told reporters at the ministry after reporters questioned about his visit to Iran .



He highlighted that Cambodia had experience on the economic sanction from other countries after 1979 but Cambodia could survive by herself.

Last week, Deputy Prime Minister Hor Nam Hong visited Iran to strengthen bilateral cooperation including economic and trade fields and both sides reached to sign the MoU of oil cooperation. Iran is in Middle East , rich of oil and gas and one of the largest producers of oil in the world.



The MoU will help Cambodia and Iran could provide the technical assistance of training the Cambodian officials and experts on petroleum field. Cambodia expected to pump oil in 2012 from the offshore.



In the visit to Iran, Deputy Prime Minister Hor Nam Hong led the Cambodian delegation accompanies senior officials from foreign ministry and Ho Vichit, vice chairman of the National Petroleum Authority to Iran, the statement from foreign ministry said last week. Deputy Prime Minister Hor Nam Hong met his counterpart Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki for bilateral talks on expansion of ties in the areas of political, economic and diplomatic ties between the two countries.



The two sides discussed several issues such as trade, tourism, investments and cooperation in tariffs, facilitating taxation regulations and participating in joint ventures, Iranian Foreign Minister Mottaki quoted as saying by Iranian media. Iran and Cambodia stressed their willingness to bolster bilateral ties in the areas of economy and energy, he said.



In a separate case, Deputy Prime Minister Hor Nam Hong met with the Iranian Commerce Minister Mehdi Ghazanfari on possible ways to boost bilateral cooperation. In this meeting Ghazanfari expressed Iran ’s readiness to expand ties with Cambodia in different fields such as agriculture, industry, oil and petrochemical, exporting technical and engineering services and exchanging technical delegations.



“The Iranian minister went on to note that Cambodia can play an important role in deepening Iran ’s relations with ASEAN member countries,” Iran News Agency reported. Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong told Iranian commerce minister that tourism industry also is one of the most important sectors in expansion of ties between the two countries.



Deputy Prime Minister Hor Nam Hong paid the courtesy call on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Cambodia has had diplomatic relations with Iran since 1992.

The two countries’ trade value so far this year stood at $539,000. Iran exported $120,000 worth of goods to Cambodia during this period while importing $66,000 worth of goods from the Southeast Asian nation, Iranian Media reported.

Iran and Cambodia have recently expanded their parliamentary relations and exchange’s visit of lawmakers. In May, Cambodia ’s Parliament Speaker Heng Samrin called for the development of all ties between Tehran and Phnom Penh .

In the past few years, Cambodia has strengthened the cooperation closely with the countries in the Middle East region to attract investors from area to make business here and attract the tourists there to see here. Qatar , Kuwait and Saudi Arabic, and other countries in region tied closely for bilateral cooperation at both national and international stages.



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