Cambodia and Qatar: cooperation and development of relations

On March 16, the Ministry of Commerce of Cambodia held an inter-ministerial meeting to discuss and speedily finalize a draft agreement on economic, trade and technical cooperation with Qatar. It should give a new impetus to cooperation between the two countries, bring economic benefits and help attract investors and tourists to the region.

It is assumed that the agreement will not only expand the scope of bilateral cooperation, but also give Cambodia access to the markets of one of the most developed economies, Qatar, as well as other countries in the Middle East.

The draft Cambodia-Qatar Cooperation Agreement covers a number of key priority areas, including trade, customs, investment, industry, agriculture, telecommunications, mining and energy, science, tourism and transport. It will provide a legal basis for cooperation between the two countries and create a framework for cooperation in bilateral trade.

In addition, the opening of direct flights between Qatar and Cambodia has already stimulated the development of the tourism sector. In the near future, it is planned to work on the service and trade sectors to attract investors from the country of the Gulf region.

Imports to Cambodia from Qatar in 2020 amounted to $2.71 million. Although bilateral trade has been limited due to the pandemic, the 2020 figure is up slightly from the 2019 figure.