The Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen has concluded a fruitful official visit to the Maldives.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid received the Cambodian PM and his delegation at Velana International Airport (VIA) on Sunday.

He was seen off at the airport on Tuesday.

His visit came upon the official invitation of the Maldivian president.

The Cambodian PM was officially welcomed by the Maldivian government on Monday, at a ceremony held at Izzuddin Jetty in the capital city.

As part of the visit, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih engaged in productive discussions with the Cambodian PM. The official talks were attended by senior officials from both countries, at the President’s Office.

The discussions saw President Solih and PM Hun Sen shedding light on the existing bilateral relations between the two countries.

The two leaders also stated that the visit marks a historic milestone in bilateral ties between Maldives and Cambodia, going on to note that it has already opened a new chapter of close cooperation, which will be enhanced in the future.

The Maldivian president and Cambodian PM also engaged in discussions regarding shaping the future ties of both countries in multiple sectors where they may share mutual arrangements.

As such, extensive discussions were held on boosting bilateral, regional, and international cooperation in mutual areas of interest.

Other topics of discussion included education, human resource development, tourism cooperation, economic and trade cooperation as well as increasing air connectivity.

Further, both leaders spoke extensively regarding cooperation in healthcare, fisheries, agriculture, environment, climate change in regional, international cooperation as well as areas of security and counterterrorism.

Stressing on the significance of developing the healthcare sector, the Maldivian leader noted that Maldives has embarked on an ambitious programme to enhance healthcare, focusing on three main areas including training and specialization of local healthcare professionals, recruitment of expatriate doctors and specialists and sourcing of generic as well as controlled pharmaceuticals.

Expressing his ambition to strengthen cooperation in higher education, President Solih went on to express keen interest to explore educational opportunities for Maldivian youth in Cambodia.

As such, he noted that the Maldivian government is interested to seek opportunities to establish an exchange programme for students, adding that it would open a new knowledge stream in academia.

Moreover, he expressed pleasure for being able to offer two scholarships for Cambodian students to attend the Maldives National University (MNU).

The official talks saw the Cambodian PM offering 10 scholarships for Maldivian students.

President Solih also touched upon cooperation in the fields of economy and commerce, noting that Maldives is seeking to expand its economic outlook and diversify its industries and stated that the archipelago nation strongly encourages investment.

With this, he invited Cambodian investors to take advantage of the opportunity to form meaningful and mutually beneficial partnerships with Maldivian businesses.

The Maldivian leader went on to express hope for a “very” fruitful outcome from the ongoing business forum between the members of the chambers of commerce of both countries.

Discussions also revolved around the possibilities of seeking training and skills development opportunities for Maldivians at Cambodia's agricultural institutions and building cooperation mechanisms.

The official talks also saw President Solih expressing interest to seek opportunities to import rice to the Maldives from Cambodia at a viable rate.

President Solih went on to express the government’s interest to explore further options to import other agricultural produce and non-food items.

Regarding the agreements exchanged on Monday, both leaders stated that it will enable relevant institutions in both countries to form a Joint Working Group and pursue initiatives related to the establishment of air links as well as joint marketing and promotion and exchange initiatives in the hospitality sector to achieve the shared tourism goals.

Discussions also focused on the ongoing deliberations on concluding an air services agreement between the two countries.

The talks concluded with both leaders reaffirming their commitment to further solidify the ties of friendship between the Maldives and Cambodia.

President Solih and the Cambodian PM also briefly met for restricted talks at the President's Office, prior to the official talks.

Further, key agreements were signed between the two governments to further strengthen the existing bilateral relations between the two countries.

The agreements signed on Monday mirror a pivotal point of progress in bilateral relations between the two countries.

The agreements exchanged on Monday include an Agreement on Visa Exemption for Holders of Diplomatic, Official and Ordinary Passports signed between Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid and Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhon.

The agreement aims to ease existing travel restrictions for holders of diplomatic, official, and ordinary passports of both the Maldives and Cambodia and to further solidify the socio-economic relationship between the two countries.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Bilateral Consultations was also signed between Foreign Minister Shahid and Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhon in a bid to invite discussions to build relationships between the Maldives and Cambodia in several fields.

Further, Minister of Economic Development Fayyaz Ismail and Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation signed an Agreement on Economic Cooperation, seeking to solidify, promote and develop economic cooperation between the two countries, based on equality and mutual benefit.

Fourth was a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Health Cooperation signed between Minister of Health Ahmed Naseem and Cambodia’s Minister of Health Professor MAM Bunheng.

The agreement aims to assist the archipelago nation to seek support to enhance healthcare facilities, train healthcare professionals and carry out prevention and advocacy programmes.

Minister of Tourism Dr. Abdulla Mausoom and his Cambodian counterpart, Thong Khon also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Tourism Cooperation, in a bid to assist in the advertisement of tourism, provide training as well as further investment opportunities and facilitating travel between the two countries.

The sixth agreement was a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Maldives National Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce.

The MoU was signed by a board member of the Maldives National Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mohamed Ikram Ibrahim, and the President of the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce Neak Oknh Kith Men.

The agreement is expected to pave the path for possibilities to build trade relations, increasing trade, expanding investments, and further enhancing industrial, business, and economic cooperation between the two countries.

The two leaders delivered a joint statement following official talks on Monday afternoon, where the Cambodian PM announced the decision to provide 10 scholarship opportunities for Maldivian students to study in higher educational institutions of Cambodia.

President Solih and the Cambodian PM shed light on the common challenges and concerns facing both countries and shared similar ideas and concepts to overcome them.

They also stated that prioritizing international cooperation and goodwill with neighbors in the hopes of reaping the benefits of a strong partnership was the way forward.

The statement saw the Cambodian PM shedding light on the significance of improved bilateral relations, trade, and cultural relations between the two nations.

Going on to cite that people-to-people contact remains an integral part of any bilateral relationship, President Solih expressed satisfaction with the agreement signed on easing visa facilitations, which allows a 30-day on-arrival visa for travel between the two countries.

Highlighting the opportunity for Maldivian importers to tap into Cambodia's rice and other agriculture sector markets, President Solih also expressed interest to improve trade ties.

Cambodia exports rice and other agricultural products such as maize, peppers, dried cassava, cashew nuts, and fruits.

Thanking the Maldivian leader for offering the opportunity for Cambodian defense personnel to attend dive training courses in the Maldives, the Cambodian PM announced the decision to offer scholarship opportunities for Maldivian students.

Discussions were also held on bilateral trade opportunities with an emphasis on importing other commodities produced in Cambodia, such as garments, travel goods, and wood products, to the Maldives.

It was also revealed that Cambodia would consider importing canned tuna and other fisheries products from the Maldives, with President Solih highlighting that diversifying imports to multiple markets would reduce the prices of staple foods, enhance food security, and provide more choices to consumers.

The Maldivian leader also shed light on the exchange of six bilateral agreements, expressing hope for a renewed commitment to greater cooperation, especially on international issues of mutual interest.

President Solih particularly emphasized on the engagements at the United Nations (UN) and other international organizations working collaboratively towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), common perspectives on climate change, and issues relating to international peace and security.

Both leaders concluded the joint statement by laying the foundations and establishing key components to sustain and elevate the partnership.

They expressed hope for improved cooperation and friendship between the two nations in the years to come.

President Solih also hosted an official luncheon in the Cambodian PM’s honor, at OBLU XPERIENCE Ailafushi resort.

Vice President Faisal Naseem also paid a courtesy call on the Cambodian PM on Monday, where he noted that the productive official talks held between the governments of Maldives and Cambodia, paved the way for greater cooperation and collaboration between the two countries.

The meeting saw VP Naseem and the Cambodian PM expressing mutual interest to work closely to discuss matters of mutual interest, particularly to enhance and strengthen the existing cooperation at the bilateral and multilateral level.

Further, they spoke on cooperation in the fields of agriculture, higher education, trade, and tourism.

Expressing his delight to discover the Maldives’ tourism sector at such an advanced level, the Cambodian PM stated that he is convinced that tourism cooperation between both countries would be fruitful.

Discussions also touched upon issues of mutual interest such as renewable energy, climate change, and economic diversification.

VP Naseem also expressed his belief that the exchange of visits at the highest level was important to move bilateral relations to new heights.

FM Shahid also called on the Cambodian PM, where he assured that the government of Maldives is ready to implement all the outcomes agreed upon during the official talks.

FM Shahid reaffirmed the view of the Maldivian government that both countries can pursue closer cooperation on all aspects of bilateral relations as well as regionally and internationally.

Further, FM Shahid highlighted that the agreements signed on Monday will be mutually beneficial to both the people of Maldives and Cambodia.

He noted that the Visa Exemption Agreement will increase cooperation in the future and will allow enhanced people-to-people contact.

This was the Cambodian PM’s first visit to the Maldives.

Diplomatic relations were established between Maldives and Cambodia on 21 September 1995.