Australian ambassador to Cambodia Pablo Kang handed a letter of intent on Wednesday to the president of Cambodia’s National Institute of Diplomacy and International Relations (Nidir) Tean Samnang to support future cooperation and the next generation’s up-and-coming leaders and diplomats.

The letter of intent outlines future cooperation between Nidir and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Diplomatic Academy.

The Diplomatic Academy trains Australian officials in international engagement and trade in areas such as advocacy, negotiation and strategic planning, the Australian Embassy in Phnom Penh said in a Wednesday press release.

“Through cooperation with Nidir, Australia is pleased to support the next generation of Cambodian leaders and diplomats.

“As a diplomat myself, I believe we can only be truly effective when we prioritise continuous learning and professional development.

“The role of Nidir is crucial to ensuring future generations of Cambodians engage effectively in regional and global forums, successfully negotiate with international partners, and develop stable and robust foreign policy measures to ensure a resilient and prosperous Indo-Pacific region,” Kang was quoted in the press release

The cooperation between Nidir and the Diplomatic Academy includes sharing materials of mutual interest such as reciprocal exchanges of senior foreign ministry officials, guest lectures from senior Australian officials at Nidir, and Australia running short courses for Cambodians through Nidir.

“The letter of intent cements an existing relationship between Nidir and Australia,” the release said.

In October last year, Australia and Nidir cooperated to deliver training for Cambodian diplomats on developing foreign policy, conducting international negotiations, delivering continuous education for diplomats and supporting women in leadership.

Retired senior Australian diplomat Jean Dunn delivered the training.

Samnang could not be reached for comment on Wednesday. However, Nidir posted on Facebook on Wednesday that Kang handed over the letter of intent from Paula Ganly, executive director of the Diplomatic Academy of Australia, on the establishment of the cooperation between Nidir and the Diplomatic Academy of Australia.

“In the meantime, the embassy also provided Nidir with the diplomatic training programme and some books related to Australian foreign policy.

Kang wrote on Twitter that he was pleased to meet again with Samnang to hand over a formal letter of intent and some materials from the Diplomatic Academy of Australia and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

“Building diplomatic tradecraft is an important goal for any foreign service,” he tweeted.