Foreign minister Prak Sokhonn (centre) meets EU representatives on January 30. Foreign Ministry
Cambodian and EU representatives met to formulate development cooperation strategies for the next seven years, 2021 to 2027, outlining three priority areas and agreeing to further consultations in the context of evolving events due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The strategic agreements were formalised on January 28 by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn and European ambassador Carmen Moreno.
The three priorities to be addressed were economic growth and job creation; agriculture and natural resource management; and governance by the rule of
law. Sokhonn and Moreno agreed that additional coordination would be required regarding the ongoing pandemic.
A press release following meeting noted that both sides exchanged views on the ASEAN Regional Integration and, in particular, development gaps within the region and EU support for the Kingdom’s efforts to integrate into regional markets and value chains.
Discussions also touched on issues concerning migrant workers, European market access for Cambodian rice products, the tourism industry, social protection programmes, private sector engagement and bilateral investment promotion.
Sokhonn remarked that the EU’s development assistance for Cambodia over the past two and a half decades had significantly contributed to the nation’s socio-economic progress.
“We welcome this initial consultation to improve and refine EU development activities and look forward to the results of these development cooperation strategies for the 2021-2027 cycle,” Sokhonn said.
“Among the achievements, there is the Bakheng water treatment plant project. The plant will be sustained by grants from the EU and AFD [Agence Francaise de Developpement], including credits from the European Investment Bank. This project will create 16,000 jobs and supply clean water to people who are most in need of it,” Moreno said.
Political analyst Lao Mong Hay opined that of the three EU development cooperation strategies, the Cambodian government had not yet performed well with regard to the second and third targets.
He said it was imperative that the parties devise a credible strategy to recreate environments conducive to fish spawning such as planting trees, dredging and widening rivers and lakes, building more reservoirs and promoting further fresh and sea water fish farming.
He stressed: “Without such efforts, it is doubtful the EU development cooperation would contribute much to sustainable progress in Cambodia.”
Kin Phea, director of the Royal Academy of Cambodia’s International Relations Institute, praised past cooperation between the two sides and congratulated them for renewing their efforts. He hoped they would address problems and seek joint solutions in many more sectors.
“At this time, Cambodia should further prepare itself to accept EU exchanges and development recommendations to improve the nation. That which is beneficial for Cambodia, we should accept and implement.
“But if there are demands amounting to interference in the internal affairs of the country, we must be decisive and stand on our sovereignty because cooperation represents mutual agreement,” Phea said.
