KATHMANDU, May 15: Nepal and Cambodia on Wednesday issued a 15-point joint statement during the official visit of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to the Southeast Asian country.
In their joint statement, Prime Minister Oli and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen reaffirmed strong commitment to further deepen the friendly ties between Cambodia and Nepal which are deeply rooted in the shared cultural heritage of the two nations.
"Both Prime Ministers noted with satisfaction that Cambodia and Nepal have developed a strong and mutually beneficial partnership at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels for the sake of peace, stability and sustainable development of the two nations and the world," read the joint statement.
Here is the full text of the joint statement:
1. At the invitation of Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Rt. Hon. K. P. Sharma Oli, Prime Minister of Nepal, paid an official visit to the Kingdom of Cambodia on 13-15May 2019. He was accompanied by his spouse Mrs. Radhika Shakya, Hon. Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr. Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, Advisors to the Prime Minister, Parliamentarians, high ranking Government officials and a business delegation.
2. The Prime Minister of Nepal and his spouse laid wreathe at the Monument of Independence and paid homage to the memory of the war heroes and heroines of Cambodia. They paid tribute and respect at the Royal Memorial of His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah NORODOM SIHANOUK, PREAH BOROM RATANAK KAUDH, the Late King Father of Cambodia. They visited National Museum and the Silver Pagoda, and also the Win-Win Monument which exhibits historical facts on Cambodia’s successful effort to bring about complete peace, national reconciliation and national unification of Cambodia.
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3. During this visit, the Prime Minister of Nepal called on Samdech Vibol Sena Pheakdei Say Chhum, President of the Senate and Acting Head of State and also met with Samdech Akka Moha Ponhea Chakkrei Heng Samrin, President of the National Assembly.
4. The Prime Minister of Nepal had a bilateral meeting with Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia in an atmosphere of friendship and mutual understanding. Recalling his first visit to Nepal in November 2018, Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen welcomed the return visit by Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli as a landmark visit, and noted that this visit would take the excellent relations already existing between the two friendly countries to new heights. Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli termed Cambodia as a close friend and an important partner of Nepal in the region.
5. The two Prime Ministers discussed in-depth on promoting bilateral cooperation in many areas including trade and investment, tourism, culture and education, and exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest. They reaffirmed strong commitment to further deepen the friendly ties between Cambodia and Nepal which are deeply rooted in the shared cultural heritage of the two nations. Both Prime Ministers noted with satisfaction that Cambodia and Nepal have developed a strong and mutually beneficial partnership at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels for the sake of peace, stability and sustainable development of the two nations and the world.
6. Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen highly commended Nepal’s historical political transformation and its unique home grown peace process, and the prevailing stability in Nepal under the leadership of Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli, which has allowed the country to focus on sustainable socio-economic development. He expressed his best wishes for the realisation of Nepal’s national aspiration of “prosperous Nepal, happy Nepali”. Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli also lauded the continued success of the Cambodian Government in maintaining peace, stability, high economic growth, a robust tourism industry, and improvement in the quality of life of the Cambodian people, under the leadership of Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen.
7. The two Prime Ministers underscored the importance of regular exchange of high-level visits and consultations that would afford ways and means to strengthen and expand bilateral cooperation in all feasible areas for the mutual benefits of both nations. Toward this end, the two leaders agreed that the process of consultation between the two foreign ministries should commence at the earliest.
8. Acknowledging that economic cooperation between Cambodia and Nepal still has much room for improvement, the two Prime Ministers concurred to task the institutions concerned of both countries to work together in order to increase bilateral trade, investment and tourism exchanges. They also stressed the important role of the private sector in economic development and encouraged close collaboration between the chambers of commerce of Cambodia and Nepal in fully exploiting economic potentials and business opportunities of both countries.
9. The two Prime Ministers witnessed the signing of the Framework Agreement on Trade and Investment between the Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Government of Nepal, and a Memorandum of Understanding between the Chamber of Commerce of Cambodia and the Chamber of Commerce of Nepal. They welcomed the signing of the Agreement and the MoU, and expressed optimism that, with the conclusion of these two documents, economic, trade and investment activities between the two countries will grow significantly in the near future.
10. Recalling the signing of the Memorandum of Understandings on the concurrence of both sides to conclude an Air Services Agreement during the successful visit of Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen to Nepal in November 2018, the two Prime Ministers instructed the respective civil aviation authorities to expedite discussion on the conclusion and implementation of the Air Services Agreement between the two countries. They shared the view that direct air linkage is needed to facilitate business and tourism exchanges between the two countries. The two leaders also agreed to urge all the relevant institutions of both countries to work closely together, such as through joint promotional activities and taping into the rich cultural and natural heritage of both nations to increase tourism exchange.
11. Both Leaders noted with satisfaction that cultural cooperation is picking up following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Cultural Cooperation between the two countries on 29 November 2018. They expressed confidence that effective implementation of this MOU will not only promote mutual understanding and friendship, but also contribute to enhancing tourism industry of the two countries. Both leaders agreed to encourage people-to-people exchange through education cooperation as well.
12. The two Prime Ministers expressed satisfaction at the growing level of multilateral cooperation between Cambodia and Nepal, and agreed that the representatives of both countries should collaborate more closely on various regional and international fora, including the UN, for peace, stability, sustainable development and shared prosperity.
13. Both leaders jointly addressed the Cambodia-Nepal Business Forum and encouraged economic, trade and investment exchanges between the two countries.
14. Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli expressed his deep appreciation to Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen and the people of Cambodia for the warm welcome and hospitality extended to him, his spouse and the accompanying delegates during their stay in Phnom Penh.
15. The Rt. Hon. Prime Minister of Nepal extended a cordial invitation to Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen to visit Nepal at his convenience. Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen accepted the invitation with pleasure, and thanked Prime Minister Oli for the invitation. The dates of the visit would be worked out through diplomatic channels.
