Croatia has pledged to support Cambodia’s goal of becoming mine-free by 2035 and to further strengthen cooperation across a range of priority sectors, including trade and investment, agro-industry, transport and logistics, education, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.
The commitment was made during Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman’s October 19-20 official visit to Cambodia.
During his visit, he held meetings with senior Cambodian leaders, with the Cambodian foreign ministry describing the visit as an important step towards strengthening bilateral relations and expanding cooperation, on the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
During his meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn, Grlić Radman discussed ways to further expand bilateral cooperation in several priority areas.
The two foreign ministers underscored the importance of maintaining high-level exchanges and regular bilateral consultation mechanisms, including political consultations between their respective foreign ministries.
On trade and investment, both sides recognised the need for further efforts to deepen economic cooperation, particularly in agriculture, agro-industry, pharmaceutical manufacturing, technology, energy, transport and logistics and tourism.
They reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening business ties and encouraging greater private-sector engagement to create new opportunities for trade and investment between Cambodia and Croatia.
To strengthen friendship and bring their peoples closer together, the two sides also emphasised the importance of cooperation in human resource development, tourism and cultural exchanges.
Recognising the contributions and experience of both countries in global mine-clearance efforts, Cambodia and Croatia agreed to explore opportunities to strengthen cooperation in the demining sector. Croatia pledged to support Cambodia’s goal of achieving mine-free status by 2035.
The ministers also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest and concern, reaffirming their “commitment to multilateralism, respect for international law and cooperation to promote peace, stability and sustainable development”.
Sokhonn briefed his Croatian counterpart on the latest developments along the Cambodia-Thailand border and reiterated Cambodia’s commitment to resolving disputes peacefully through dialogue, in accordance with international law and existing bilateral agreements.
During the visit, two cooperation documents were signed.
The first was an agreement between the Cambodian and Croatian governments waiving visa requirements for holders of diplomatic passports.
The second was a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation between Cambodia’s National Institute of Diplomacy and International Relations, under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and the Diplomatic Academy of Croatia’s Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.
Grlić Radman thanked Cambodia for the warm welcome and friendly hospitality extended to his delegation and invited Sokhonn to make an official visit to Croatia at a mutually convenient time in the future. Sokhonn accepted the invitation.