Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn met with Czech ambassador to Cambodia Marek Libricky last Wednesday. MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
Prime Minister Hun Sen will embark on an official two-day visit to the Czech Republic in October, with the two countries expected to agree on many areas of cooperation.
Hun Sen will lead a Cambodian delegation to Prague from October 13-14 to strengthen ties between the two countries, with many joint projects to be signed, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said on Monday.
The ministry’s announcement came after Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn met with Czech ambassador to Cambodia Marek Libricky last Wednesday.
The ministry did not provide details as to who Hun Sen would hold meetings with on the trip.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ket Sophann said on Monday that the ministry was still in the process of preparing the official visit and details had not yet been finalised.
During his meeting with Sokhonn, Libricky said the Czech Republic regarded Cambodia as a close friend, and he would do his utmost to bring the two countries closer with cooperation across all sectors.
He said collaboration between the two nations would focus mainly on development.
Prague had chosen Cambodia as one of six countries for its development cooperation, he said, which differed from development assistance.
“Development cooperation between Cambodia and the Czech Republic will cross all sectors, including in health, agriculture, defence, aviation, the environment, clean water, drainage treatment stations and eco-tourism.
“The Czech Republic also plans to open a modern hospital in the Kingdom the near future, with both sides in discussions on the matter,” Libricky said.
Sokhonn said Cambodia had highlighted potential prioritised sectors for foreign direct investment (FDI) and gave his support to the Czech Republic establishing a hospital in the Kingdom.
He encouraged his Czech counterpart to look into the construction of an energy network from Laos to Cambodia after the Kingdom signed an agreement to buy 2,900MW of electricity from Laos to fill the gaps experienced recently. He also urged Prague to invest in renewable energy.
The Foreign Minister also talked about Czech’s interest in the agriculture and tourism sectors.
“This new cooperation with the Czech Republic will bring about a new dynamism for development in Cambodia,” Sokhonn said.
Sokhonn said Prague and Phnom Penh had enjoyed close ties since the 1950s, and he thanked the Czech Republic for transforming the debt Cambodia owed it into development assistance. He said this was a good model for other countries to follow.
Kin Phea, the director of the International Relations Institute at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said despite the Kingdom having been accused of violating human rights by the EU, ties with the Czech Republic remained warm.
“The Czech Republic was part of Czechoslovakia until it peacefully dissolved in 1993 into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
“Czechoslovakia for a long time had good relations with Cambodia. It was a socialist country like Cambodia had been from 1979 to 1989. This traditionally warm relationship continues even after the split,” Phea said.
