Prime minister Hun Manet and Flerida Ann Camille P. Mayo, Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to Cambodia, Tuesday agreed to expand economic, trade and tourism cooperations by reconnecting direct flights from Cebu to Siem Reap provinces.
This came as the new Philippines Ambassador led a delegation to pay a courtesy visit to the Premier, stressing a set of commitments and efforts to further strengthen and expand the relations and cooperation during the mandate of her diplomatic mission in the Kingdom.
Congratulating Mayo on assuming the office, Prime Minister Hun Manet recalled the long-standing diplomatic relations and cooperation that led to mutual growth for both nations.
The Premier hoped that under Mayo’s leadership, Cambodia and the Philippines would be able to strive for further development and collaboration for the common benefit of the two countries.
During the meeting, the Premier and the Ambassador discussed ways to strengthen and expand collaborations in various potential sectors, first is on the economic interaction by increasing trade volume and boosting the export of agricultural products.
Second, on the promotion of tourism through the joint initiative to reconnect direct flights from Cebu province of the Philippines to Siem Reap province of Cambodia and lastly, on the development of the education and construction industry.
It may be recalled that the ambassador also paid a courtesy call to Sok Chenda Sophea, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MFAIC) on July 10.
According to the MFAIC press release, Sophea will co-chair the fourth joint commission meeting for bilateral cooperation between the two countries in August which is scheduled to be held in Manila, the capital of the Philippines.
The meeting was organised for Cambodians and Filipinos to jointly explore ways to push the relations to the next level for mutual benefit.
Besides, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Ambassador reaffirmed the commitment to support each other in regional and international forums as well, the statement added.
Dr Chuk Chumno, Director-General of Tourism Development and International Cooperation of the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) told Khmer Times earlier that Cambodia and the Philippines have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to boost tourist flow in 2020, right amid the pandemic.
The two countries also agreed to push for more direct flight services including the flight from Manila to Siem Reap or the flight from Cebu to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, as both countries have already connected direct flights between Phnom Penh and Manila in 2019, he added.
