Phnom Penh, September 04, 2019 –H.E. Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, Prime Minister of Malaysia, and his spouse concluded their three-day official visit in Cambodia this morning.
The high-level Malaysian delegation were seen off at Phnom Penh International Airport by H.E. Othman Hassan, Minister Attached to the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Labour and Vocational Training as well as many other senior government officials.
During the visit in the Kingdom from Sept. 2 to 4, H.E. Prime Minister of Malaysia paid a courtesy call on Samdech Vibol Sena Pheakdei Say Chhum, Acting Head of State, and held a bilateral meeting with Samdech Techo Prime Minister Hun Sen, during which various aspects of bilateral cooperation were discussed.
After the bilateral talks, both leaders witnessed the signing ceremony of two cooperation documents -Agreement on the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income (DTA) and Memorandum of Understanding on Tourism Cooperation.
After that, the two Premiers held a joint press announcement where they expressed their satisfaction with the growing ties of friendship and cooperation in all domains, especially in the areas of security, economy, trade, investment, tourism, education, labour and culture, etc., as well as their commitment to continue tightening and expanding the close cooperation, both in the bilateral and multilateral frameworks for the interest of the two countries’ people and in contribution to peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world.
For regional economic cooperation, Cambodia and Malaysia agreed that it is necessary to conclude by the end of this year the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) – a key tool contributing to boosting regional economic integration and growth as well as protecting multilateral trade.
Besides, H.E. Dr. Mahathir Mohamad attended an Open Dialogue on “Balancing Relations with the Superpowers in the Context of ASEAN” at Cambodia-Korea Cooperation Centre of the Royal University of Phnom Penh, during which Cambodian young scholars and students had the opportunity to engage in a special discussion with the Malaysian Premier.
The Malaysian leader also gave a lecture for leaders of Cambodian Muslim communities from across the country and held a get-together with representatives of Malaysian companies investing in Cambodia.
The two-way trade between Cambodia and Malaysia reached US$500 million last year, and in the first half of 2019, the figure was recorded at more than US$400 million.
By Khan Sophirom
