Kuwait PM holds official talks with Cambodian counterpart

KUWAIT, Jan 13 (KUNA) -- His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah on Tuesday held official talks in Bayan Palace with his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen.

Attending the discussions was First Deputy Premier and Defence Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Deputy Premier, Foreign Minister and acting Oil Minister Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, Deputy Premier and State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Faisal Mohammad Al-Hajji Bukhadhour, Advisor to HH the Prime Minister's Diwan and Head of the honorary delegation Sheikh Dr. Salem Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and the Kuwaiti Ambassador to Thailand and non-resident Ambassador to Cambodia.

Other guests included sheikhs, dignitaries and officials from Kuwait's Foreign Ministry, the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED).

The discussions focused on various forms of cooperation as well as bilateral relations between the two countries and international issues of joint importance, according to a Kuwaiti official.

The talks also resulted in the signature of two agreements and two memorandums of understanding.

A memorandum of understanding was signed by Kuwaiti Deputy Premier, Foreign Minister and acting Oil Minister Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah for the KFAED and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong.

An agreement for cooperation in tourism was signed by the governments of both countries; on the Kuwaiti side by Minister of Commerce and Industry and Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs Ahmad Baqer and on the Cambodian side by Minister of Tourism Thong Khon.

A memorandum of understanding in the field of the exchange of labour was signed on the Kuwaiti side by Minister of Social Affairs and Labour Bader Fahad Al-Duwaila and Cambodian Minister of Labour of Vocational Training Vorng Soth.

Another agreement for the organization of aviation services between both countries was signed on the Kuwaiti side by Head of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation Fawaz Al-Farah and on the Cambodian side by Secretary of State for Civil Aviation Mao HasVannal.

HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah also held a dinner banquet at the honour of the Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his accompanying delegation.

Cambodian PM Leaves for Kuwait Visit

By Chiep Mony, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
13 January 2009

Prime Minister Hun Sen left Tuesday for a first-ever visit to Kuwait, in an effort to boost economic relations between the two countries.

Hun Sen flew Tuesday on a plane provided by the Middle Eastern nation and is scheduled to pay a four-day visit, accompanied by a delegation of 40 government officials and businessmen.

Cambodian officials are scheduled to sign agreements on Kuwaiti technical aid to construct irrigation systems and a hydropower project in Kampong Thom province, Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, who is also on the delegation, told reporters Tuesday before departing.

Officials will sign agreements on direct flights and road construction on some areas in the northwest of Cambodia, Hor Namhong said.

The delegation will also discuss trade, exchange, investment and rice, he said.

“We will exchange views about rice,” he said. “This year we have remaining 3 million tons of rice for export, so we could export to sell it in Kuwait and other countries in the Persian Gulf.”

Tourism Minister Thong Korn said he believed more tourists from the Middle East would be coming to Cambodia.

In 2008, about 2 percent of visitors to the kingdom come from the Middle East. Less than 1 percent came from Kuwait, he said.

The prime minister’s trip follows an August 2008 visit by Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammed al-Ahmed al-Sabah. During that visit Kuwait pledged nearly $550 million in agricultural loans in exchange for food security.

Hun Sen visiting Kuwait for more begging?

Cambodian PM makes first Midle East visit

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

PHNOM PENH (AFP) — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has departed for oil-rich Kuwait in his first-ever visit to the Middle East, aimed at expanding business and trade ties.

Hun Sen was accompanied by a number of high-ranking government officials and business people as he left on the four-day trip on a plane provided by Kuwait.

"This visit will lead to the development in the future between Cambodia and Kuwait, and between Cambodia and other countries in the Middle East," Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told reporters.

During the visit, officials are scheduled to sign agreements on Kuwaiti technical aid to build a hydro-power plant, irrigation systems and roads in the impoverished Southeast Asian nation, the minister said.

Officials will also agree to direct flights between the two nations to boost tourism, he said.

Hor Namhong, who is accompanying Hun Sen, said the premier would also hold discussions about rice, trade exchange and investments.

Kuwaiti premier Sheikh Nasser Mohammed al-Ahmed al-Sabah visited Cambodia and inked trade deals last August, while Phnom Penh is also looking into land-lease agreements with Kuwait.

Kuwait granted Cambodia a 546-million-dollar agricultural loan in August in return for crop production.

Impoverished Cambodia has climbed back from decades of civil unrest to emerge as one of the region's most vibrant economies, attracting increasing foreign investment.

Cambodian officials have also said they hope Middle East governments will help train local experts on the petroleum industry, which is starting to take root after the discovery of offshore deposits.