Cambodia and Pakistan are committed to strengthening trade and investment ties, exploring opportunities across untapped markets, and boosting economic growth.
The comments were made during a meeting between Pakistani embassy in Phnom Penh charge d’affaires M Fahad-ur-Rehman and Cambodia Chamber of Commerce (CCC) director-general Nguon Meng Tech on Wednesday.
Rehman noted that Pakistan opened its embassy in Cambodia in 2005, a year after then-Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali paid an official visit to the Kingdom and signed a cooperation agreement.
“The trade volume between Cambodia and Pakistan is still low. Therefore, the main purpose of the meeting is to promote business relations between Cambodian and Pakistani businessmen and promote better bilateral trade relations,” he said.
Meng Tech welcomed and expressed his full support for collaboration between the embassy and the CCC in encouraging better business relations and exploring the possibility of organising joint business events, especially in conjunction with the chambers of commerce of the two countries.
During a visit to Cambodia in November, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan Qasim Khan Suri noted that the two countries have had long-standing relations and that the Kingdom has been enjoying very strong growth over the years.
He said he wants to see increased economic cooperation between Pakistan and the Kingdom, as well as with other ASEAN countries.
Ministry of Commerce spokesman Seang Thay told The Post on Sunday that while Cambodia-Pakistan trade is currently minimal, the two leaders’ commitment will create a new milestone to enhance economic cooperation.
“The two countries have to study what each other’s needs are and what kinds of products can be exchanged,” he said.
Data from the Embassy of Pakistan shows that bilateral trade between the two countries reached $16 million in 2011 and ballooned to $103.4 million in 2012.
