Vientiane, Lao PDR, 20 October 2024 — Samdech Maha Rathasapheathika Thipadei Khuon Sudary, President of the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Cambodia, held a breakfast meeting this morning with the Honourable Wanmuhamadnoor Matha, President of the National Assembly and Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Kingdom of Thailand. The two parliamentary speakers met on the sidelines of the 45th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly.

Samdech Khuon Sudary said their meeting reflected the practical implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding signed during her official visit to Thailand in July. During the visit, the two top legislators expressed appreciation for the strong ties between the two countries including people-to-people exchanges. The meeting was a positive step in strengthening peace, prosperity, and sustainability – not only for the two countries but also for the region and the world.

At their breakfast meeting in Vientiane, Samdech conveyed greetings to the Honourable Speaker and top leaders of Thailand from Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, President of the Senate and Chairman of the Supreme Privy Council to His Majesty the King, and Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet, Prime Minister of Cambodia. She also conveyed congratulations to Her Excellency Paetongtarn Shinawatra, appointed by His Majesty the King of Thailand as Prime Minister on 16 August.

Samdech Khuon Sudary requested the Honourable President of the Thai National Assembly to encourage Thai tourists and companies to visit and invest in Cambodia. She said the Royal Government planned to set up special economic zones along the border to facilitate trade and investment, noting that Cambodia expects two-way trade to reach USD 15 billion next year.

The Cambodian National Assembly President expressed deep gratitude to His Majesty the King and the Royal Government of Thailand for protecting Cambodian workers in Thailand. She also expressed heartfelt appreciation to Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn for providing scholarships to Cambodian students and establishing two technology institutes in Kampong Thom and Kampong Speu provinces and a health centre in Ratanakkiri province.

Honourable Mr. Wanmuhamadnoor Matha expressed great pleasure in meeting again with the Cambodian National Assembly President and recalled that he met with Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet during the ASEAN-AIPA Leaders' Interface Meeting in Vientiane earlier this month.

He expressed support and congratulated Cambodia on its development goals to achieve high middle-income status by 2030 and high-income by 2050. He said about 2 million Thais visited Cambodia last year and that Thai companies were satisfied investing in the country due to the attention paid by the Royal Government of Cambodia. He said the Royal Government of Thailand had worked closely with the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok to protect and support Cambodians living and working in Thailand.

Both National Assembly Presidents pledged to further strengthen and deepen cooperation between the Cambodian and Thai parliaments under bilateral and multilateral frameworks by implementing their Memorandum of Understanding signed in July. Such cooperation aims to contribute to the Strategic Partnership between Cambodia and Thailand, with a people-centred approach. The two sides agreed to continue strengthening and promoting infrastructure development and cross-border connectivity to boost trade and people-to-people ties while enhancing education and human-resource development.