February 8, 2024
BANGKOK – The leaders of Thailand and Cambodia on Wednesday co-chaired the signing ceremony of five memorandums of understanding between the two countries encompassing a range of fields.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on Wednesday welcomed his Cambodian counterpart Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet to Government House on his first official visit to Thailand as a state guest.
Government House reported that at 11.10am, the two premiers co-chaired the signing ceremony of five MoUs at Santi Maitri Building, which essentially elevates bilateral relations between the two countries to “strategic partnership”.
The MoUs are:
▪︎ Between Thailand’s Ministry of Interior and Cambodia’s National Committee for Disaster Management on cooperation in disaster risk reduction and emergency response. Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul signed for Thailand, and Senior Minister and First Vice-President of National Committee for Disaster Management of Cambodia General Kun Kim was the signatory for the neighbouring country.
▪︎ An MoU between the governments of the two countries on academic, scientific and technological cooperation. Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Supamas Isarabhakdi signed for Thailand, and Minister of Industry Science, Technology and Innovation Hem Vanndy signed for Cambodia
▪︎ An MoU on the transit of goods between Thailand’s Customs Department and Cambodia’s General Department of Customs and Excise. Director-General of the Customs Department Theeraj Athanavanich signed for Thailand, and Minister Attached to Prime Minister and the General Department of Customs and Excise of Cambodia, Dr Kun Nhem, signed for Cambodia.
▪︎ An MoU between the Export-Import Bank of Thailand (EXIM Bank) and the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce to promote trade and investment between the two countries. President of EXIM Bank, Rak Vorrakitpokatorn, signed for Thailand, and president of the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce, Neak Okhnha Kith Meng, signed for Cambodia.
▪︎ An MoU between the Board of Trade of Thailand and the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce. Chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce Sanan Angubolkul was the signatory for Thailand, and president of the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce, Neak Okhnha Kith Meng, signed for Cambodia.
After the signing ceremony, Srettha and Hun Manet addressed a joint press conference, with focus on the agreement to elevate Thailand-Cambodia relations to “strategic partnership”.
Under this partnership, Thailand will open a new consulate-general in Siem Reap, while Cambodia will open a new consulate-general in Songkhla province later this year.
The two countries also agreed to strengthen security cooperation to maintain peace and stability, especially along the Thai-Cambodian border. Srettha assured Hun Manet that it was Thailand’s policy not to allow anyone to use Thai soil as a platform to interfere in the internal affairs, or conduct harmful activities against neighbouring countries. The two countries will also strengthen cooperation to fight transnational crimes, especially cyber scam networks.
Other topics discussed during the session included economy, tourism, and labour cooperation, border development, and reducing cross-border air pollution.
As next year will mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the two prime ministers expressed optimism about the future of cooperation between Thailand and Cambodia, and pledged to continue to meet and consult regularly.