Cambodia and Saudi Arabia have pledged to seek new opportunities to enhance bilateral trade cooperation beyond its current level, with Saudi Arabia recognising Cambodia as a key gateway for trade integration within the ASEAN region—an alignment that also corresponds with Saudi Vision 2030.
The commitment was reiterated during a February 8 meeting between Waleed Nasser Alsheri, chairman of the Saudi–Cambodia Business Council, and a delegation from the Saudi Chamber of Commerce, with Cham Nimul, Minister of Commerce.
During the Phnom Penh meeting, Nimul briefed the Saudis on recent developments in Cambodia’s economic and trade policies, as well as the Cambodian government’s efforts — led by the commerce ministry — to further improve the business environment in order to attract foreign investors and enhance competitiveness.
She noted that Cambodia, as a developing country with strong political and economic stability, offers significant potential and positive prospects for Saudi investors, whether through direct investment or by exporting Cambodian products to international markets.
“I invited the Saudi business delegation to consider investing in special economic zones for the production of halal products,” she said.
Nasser Alsheri shared his observations, along with those of his colleagues, on the progress of Cambodia’s trade sector, noting that his visit, and that of the trade delegation, was aimed at exploring opportunities to expanding bilateral trade cooperation in the future.
“Cambodia serves as an important gateway for trade integration within the ASEAN region and has a development vision which aligns with Saudi Vision 2030,” he added.
The ministry noted that ahead of the meeting, both sides expressed a strong commitment to effectively implementing the action plan under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the Promotion of Trade Relations between the ministry and Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Foreign Trade (GAFT).
They expressed optimism that, through the establishment of the Saudi–Cambodia Business Council, the business communities of both countries will build closer ties, facilitating the expansion of trade and investment activities.
O the same day, Nasser Alsheri and the visiting delegation also met with Huot Hak, Minister of Tourism, and Kith Meng, president of the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council for Cambodia.
Meng explained to the delegation that Cambodia is a highly promising location for promoting business cooperation. Cambodia is keen to see the establishment of direct flights between Cambodia and Saudi Arabia to boost trade, bilateral investment and the strengthening of a long-term, mutually beneficial partnership.
The tourism minister noted that Cambodia is a peaceful country with political stability and good public order. The government has introduced numerous incentive and facilitation policies to encourage foreign investors to invest directly in the country. In addition, Cambodia is a safe, attractive and diverse tourism destination, he added.
Both sides firmly pledged to strengthen and expand cooperation in the fields of economy, investment, trade and tourism between their respective kingdoms, with a particular emphasis on promoting bilateral cooperation between the private sectors of both countries.
