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The French Embassy has hailed the historic go to of Prime Minister Hun Manet to Europe and his official one to France as being the catalyst for deeper cooperation in all fields between the 2 international locations, bringing the shut ties to a different stage.
France is the primary nation in Europe and out of doors Asia that Mr Hun Manet has visited because the assuming workplace. France is a serious commerce accomplice of Cambodia within the European Union. Bilateral commerce between each nations amounted to $515 million final 12 months.
Mr Hun Manet led a high-level delegation to attend the 54th World Financial Discussion board Annual Assembly in Davos, Switzerland, at this time and Wednesday, earlier than he begins paying the official go to to France from Thursday to Friday.
Accompanying Mr Hun Manet and his spouse First Woman, Pech Chanmony, are Deputy Prime Minister Solar Chanthol, First Vice-Chairman of the Council for the Growth of Cambodia, Deputy Prime Minister Sok Chenda Sophea, who can be Minister of Overseas Affairs and Worldwide Cooperation, together with different Ministers, key authorities officers, and enterprise leaders from the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce.
Talking throughout a press briefing held on the Embassy of France yesterday, French Ambassador to Cambodia Jacques Pellet mentioned, Mr Hun Manet’s first go to to Europe, notably the official one to France demonstrates the significance that France attaches to the shut ties it maintains with Cambodia.
He additionally highlighted the latest growth of shut ties between the 2 nations, together with the celebration of the seventieth anniversary of Cambodia’s Independence on November 9, citing the “shared historical past” between the 2 nations.
“We have now been stepping up political dialogue,” he mentioned, mentioning the go to of then Prime Minister Hun Sen to Paris in 2022 and the latest go to of King Norodom Sihamoni in November in addition to the go to of the French Commerce Minister final 12 months and the docking of The French frigate Prairial on the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port.
France additionally helps Cambodia to host the Francophonie Summit in 2026.
“Prime Minister Hun Manet’s official go to displays the dedication to pushing the extent of cooperation between the 2 international locations,” Ambassador Pellet mentioned by an interpreter.
“The discussions are targeted on sharing of widespread sustainable growth methods, deepen Cambodia-France collaboration, in addition to cooperation on clear water, power, schooling, on which the 2 international locations have labored collectively for greater than 30 years,” he mentioned.
Ambassador Pellet additionally talked about the dedication of the French Growth Company (AFD) to offering funding of as much as €400 million ($435 million) for tasks spanning 2023-2024.
This monetary assist goals to help the Kingdom in its pursuit of a low-carbon growth trajectory, improve sustainable water administration and the blue financial system, and promote enhancements in regional integration, competitiveness, and resilience to local weather change. Since 1993, the AFD has funded a complete of 92 tasks amounting to €927 million (about $1 billion).
In response to Cambodia’s Ministry of Overseas Affairs and Worldwide Cooperation, in the course of the go to, Mr Hun Manet will likely be obtained by President Emmanuel Macron for official talks on the Palais de l’Élysée.
“The assembly between the 2 leaders presents an auspicious alternative for each governments to reaffirm their collective dedication to elevating their conventional relations of fantastic cordial friendship to a brand new peak, charting a plan of action to boost and increase mutually helpful cooperation inside each bilateral and multilateral frameworks, and collaborating to sort out world challenges whereas upholding a rule-based worldwide order. A number of paperwork will likely be signed in the course of the go to,” the Ministry mentioned.
Pellet mentioned Mr Hun Manet and President Macron will tackle the strengthening of the connection between France and Cambodia in all areas, together with world points, financial relations, sustainable growth, Francophonie and heritage.
Throughout his keep in France, Mr Hun Manet can pay a courtesy name on Gérard Larcher, President of the Senate, and Yaël Braun-Pivet, President of the Nationwide Meeting.
As well as, Mr Hun Manet will obtain courtesy calls from Louise Mushikiwabo, Secretary-Normal of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, and Geoffroy Roux de Bezieux, President of Alliance des Patronats Francophones.
To additional promote Cambodia-France financial and funding cooperation, Mr Hun Manet will attend a enterprise discussion board, have plenty of separate conferences with French corporations and preside over the signing ceremony of plenty of paperwork, together with the adhesion of the Cambodian Chamber of Commerce into the Alliance des Patronats Francophones (APF).
Talking to Cambodia compatriots residing, working and finding out in Europe, Mr Hun Manet mentioned the invitation exhibits that France values the diplomatic, political and financial relations between the 2 international locations.
The invitation is clearly for the good thing about each international locations’ relations, he mentioned, including that his authorities plans to work with France and associated companions to draw extra funding to Cambodia for the nation’s and other people’s pursuits.
Responding to a query on criticisms and protests over the federal government’s alleged failure to implement the Paris Peace Settlement, Ambassador Pellet defined that the a part of rules have been included within the present Cambodia’s Structure.
“The Paris Peace Settlement just isn’t a treaty, it doesn’t require common inspections to see whether it is correctly carried out. The most important rules of this settlement have already been enshrined within the (Cambodian) Structure. As well as, we’ve had plenty of dialogue on the structure and this settlement,” he added.
Relating to the partial withdrawal of the Kingdom’s Every part-However-Arms (EBA) commerce standing from the European Union (EU), Ambassador Pellet mentioned: “France is able to assist Cambodia discover its approach out.”
Cambodia will lose the EBA advantages when it’s elevated to change into a high-middle-income nation by 2030, Ambassador Pellet mentioned if Cambodia desires to proceed to have preferential tariffs, it ought to negotiate with the EU to get the bloc’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), which supplies growing international locations a particular incentive to pursue sustainable growth and good governance.
The EU has demanded that the federal government “restore” democracy and the rule of legislation, and respect human rights and basic freedoms.
The EU additionally reiterated that the Cambodian authorities ought to take motion to “restore political freedoms within the nation, to re-establish the required situations for a reputable, democratic opposition and to provoke a means of nationwide reconciliation by real and inclusive dialogue”.
Nevertheless, the Cambodian authorities has defended its place over the withdrawal of 20% of Cambodia’s entry to the preferential buying and selling scheme, amounting to round one-fifth, or €1 billion ($1.053 billion) of Cambodia’s yearly exports to the EU markets.
Through the interview, Ambassador Pellet mentioned because the new authorities took workplace in August final 12 months, he has met about 15 new ministers, saying they’re “keen to reform” and provides new impetus.
Since he took workplace, Mr Hun Manet has introduced the official launch of the Pentagonal Technique–Section I and the important thing measures for the federal government to be carried out within the subsequent 5 years to remodel Cambodia right into a high-income financial system by 2050.
Though Ambassador Pellet mentioned that it was “too early” to guage the work of the brand new authorities, he was assured the brand new ministers, comprising younger successors, have been “keen to work”.
“We see that the brand new ministers are all the time listening to the folks and keen to strengthen relations between France and Cambodia,” he mentioned.
Mr Hun Manet yesterday additionally met with Maud Bailly, CEO of Sofitel, MGallery & Emblems and Member of ACCOR’s Luxurious & Life-style Govt Committee throughout his keep in Paris in addition to Nicolas Notebaert, Member of VINCI Group Govt Committee and President of VINCI Airports.
Mr Hun Manet additionally rebuffed the accusation that the Cambodian individuals who got here to greet him have been paid to take action.
“Some allege the individuals who got here to see me have been being tricked. Such an announcement just isn’t appropriate in any respect and is an insult to the Cambodian diaspora,” he mentioned.
He emphasised that the folks got here within the spirit of unity, and gathered to search out out the scenario within the nation, the actions of the federal government and to point out their assist.
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