Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation H.E. Prak Sokhonn received here on Jan. 26 a courtesy call from H.E. Ms. Petra Sigmund, Director-General for Asia and the Pacific at the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Below are the outcomes of the meeting released this evening by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation:
On 26 January 2022, H.E. Mr. PRAK Sokhonn, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Kingdom of Cambodia, received a Courtesy call from Her Excellency Petra Sigmund, Director-General for Asia and the Pacific at the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany.
On Bilateral Cooperation, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Director-General recalled the long-standing relations of excellent friendship and close cooperation between Cambodia and Germany. They noted with satisfaction the signing of the Joint Declaration on Bilateral Consultations as both Foreign Ministries held the first round of the Bilateral Consultations, which will serve as a bridge to unlock new potentials to further endorse the collaboration and relations for the mutual benefits of the two countries and peoples.
Germany is one of Cambodia’s top trading partners among the EU members and Cambodia is proud to be one of German tourists’ favorite travel destinations. In this regard, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Director-General shared the view that there is a potential for both countries to double their efforts to further increase the trade volume.
H.E. Mr. PRAK Sokhonn also took the opportunity to thank the Federal Government and People of Germany for their generous assistance to the Covid-19 Emergency Response Plan of the Royal Government of Cambodia totaling over €14M (USD17M) and the continued contribution to the socio-economic development of Cambodia in many fields: education, culture, rural development, poverty reduction, energy, mine clearance, good governance, decentralization, land reform, just to name a few.
With regard to Cambodia’s Chairmanship of ASEAN and the ongoing crisis in Myanmar, Deputy Prime Minister PRAK Sokhonn informed H.E. Ms. Petra Sigmund on Cambodia’s Priorities as the ASEAN Chair 2022 and the major challenges ASEAN is currently facing and briefed her on the outcomes of the visit of Samdech Techo Prime Minister HUN SEN to Myanmar on 7-8 January 2022. The key achievements were shown through the commitment of the military to extend the ceasefire until the end of 2022 in hope to end violence, support the ASEAN Chair’s Special Envoy in carrying out the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus (5PC), facilitate an inclusive humanitarian assistance delivery and vaccination roll-out, reconsider the case of Australian Prof. Sean Turnell when the legal process ends. He underlined that Cambodia is solely intended to help Myanmar return to normalcy, end violence and achieve durable peace and reconciliation; accordingly, it is indispensable that all parties concerned engage in a peaceful and constructive dialogue process. In addition, the Deputy Prime Minister stressed that Samdech Techo Prime Minister’s visit to Myanmar aimed to break the ice for a step-by-step progress in the implementation of the 5PC. However, the peace process must be Myanmar-led and Myanmar-owned.
H.E. Ms. Petra Sigmund congratulated Cambodia on assuming the ASEAN Chairmanship and the appointment of H.E. Mr. PRAK Sokhonn as the ASEAN Chair’s Special Envoy on Myanmar. She reiterated Germany’s support for the ASEAN’s 5PC and readiness to work closely with Cambodia.
H.E. Ms. Petra Sigmund also informed the Deputy Prime Minister that “My Minister is delighted to meet with you” and underlined the Minister’s intention to invite H.E. Mr. PRAK Sokhonn to pay an official visit to Germany during his mission to Europe in February.
The meeting was concluded in an atmosphere of mutual understanding.
Source: Agency Kampuchea Press