Canadian FM Pays a Visit

Khmer Times
Tin Sokhavuth

Canada’s Foreign Minister Stephane Dion speaks in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada. Reuters

Stephane Dion, Canada’s Foreign Minister, started his three-day visit to Cambodia yesterday, according to a press release from the Kingdom’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During his visit, Mr. Dion is scheduled to meet with King Norodom Sihamoni at the Royal Palace as well as Prime Minister Hun Sen and Foreign Affairs Minister Prak Sokhonn, said the release, adding that Mr. Dion would also visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.

According to the Canadian government’s website, diplomatic relations between Cambodia and Canada are managed by the Canadian embassy in Bangkok, however, the embassy opened an office in Phnom Penh in September last year to facilitate consular services for Canadians living in the Kingdom.

In the same way, Cambodia’s representation in Canada is managed by the Cambodian mission to the United Nations in New York.

Relations between the two nations were established in 1953 when Canada participated in the International Control and Supervision Commission. Canada was also a signatory party in the Paris Peace Accord in 1991 to help end the civil war in Cambodia.

In 2014, bilateral trade between Cambodia and Canada reached $835.3 million. Cambodia is also a country benefiting from Canada’s Market Access Initiative for Least Developed Countries, allowing the Kingdom quota-free and duty-free access to their market.

Besides trade, both countries cooperate on a variety of issues, including strengthening democracy, promoting human rights and the rule of law, development cooperation in sustainable economic growth, food security and global and regional security.

In 2009, Canada provided about $900,000 in aid to the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, also known as the Khmer Rouge tribunal.

Moreover, many Canadian NGOs are active in the Kingdom, working in close cooperation with Cambodian civil society, mainly to promote development of the county.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia was launched in May 2015 to enhance Canadian trade and investment in the Kingdom. Cambodian exports to Canada – mostly garments and footwear – increased from $20.9 million in 2002 to more than $827.7 million in 2014.