French President Emmanuel Macron (right) and Prime Minister Hun Manet at Élysée Palace in Paris on January 18. STPM
French President Emmanuel Macron praised Cambodia’s position on Ukraine and its contributions to UN peacekeeping missions, while also pledging €200 million ($217 million) in development assistance. Macron noted the two countries long historic relations, and committed to deepening their ties.
Macron met with Prime Minister Hun Manet on January 18 in Paris, during Manet’s first European visit since taking office in August last year.
At a joint press conference at the Élysée Palace in Paris, Macron welcomed Manet to France. He said that since 1991, France has supported Cambodia’s development, and noted that Manet’s visit provides an excellent opportunity for the nations to initiate more joint projects.
Macron said that France will continue to provide development aid to Cambodia, most notably through the French Development Agency (AFD).
He announced that the AFD had decided early this week to provide €200 million in funding for the education, energy and clean water sectors in Cambodia.
“We strongly believe in Cambodia and the Cambodian people who, after going through decades of war, had shown gratitude to international community. I also offer my appreciation to your country for its contributions to UN peacekeeping missions, one of the largest contributions from Asia,” Macron said.
The president also praised Cambodia for its humanitarian assistance to Ukraine through training Ukrainian deminers, as well for its participation in a UN resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He referred to Cambodia’s position as a “brave stance”.
“This meeting follows an official visit by His Majesty Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia, last November. It has made it possible to deepen the privileged relationship between the two countries, inherited both from a common history of the Francophonie and from the role played by France in support of the development of Cambodia following the Paris Agreements of 1991,” said the Élysée Palace, in a press statement which followed the meeting.
French President Emmanuel Macron (right) and Prime Minister Hun Manet at Élysée Palace in Paris on January 18. STPM
“The two leaders discussed the organisation of the Francophonie Summit, which will be held in 2024 at the Château de Villers-Cotterêts, near Paris. The discussion also focused on ongoing bilateral projects in the transport, energy, water and infrastructure sectors, as well as the war in Ukraine and issues in Southeast Asia,” the president’s cabinet added.
During the conference, Manet highlighted the depth and friendliness of Cambodian and French relations.
He noted that in just the past 13 months, three of the Kingdom’s top leaders had visited Paris, including former Prime Minister Hun Sen in late 2022 and King Norodom Sihanomi, three months ago.
Manet said Cambodia will always remember France’s role as founder and co-chair of the Paris Peace Conference on Cambodia, which led to the Paris Peace Agreements of 1991.
He regarded this as France’s great contribution to Cambodia’s recovery and economic development, as well as the support of the AFD.
He added that France’s contributions helped Cambodia achieve lower-middle income country status in 2015, and explained that the Kingdom is on the path towards achieving high-middle income status in 2030 and high-income status in 2050.
“As the new leader of Cambodia, I would like to emphasise Cambodia’s position of seeking to nurture and expand our cooperation with France. I hope that through my official visit, we can discuss our ties and look into the possibility of upgrading our partnership,” he said.
Manet thanked Macron for supporting Cambodia’s candidacy as hosts of the 2026 Francophonie summit.
He also urged the two countries to increase the volume of their bilateral trade and investment.
