On the morning of 21 June 2023, His Excellency Chum Sounry, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of International Cooperation, received a farewell call by Her Excellency Dr. Sarah Taylor, who had completed her diplomatic mission as the Canadian Ambassador to Cambodia with residence in Bangkok.

During the call, both sides expressed satisfaction with the current state of bilateral cooperation, including the consistent growth of trade exchange between the two countries, the steady increase in Canadian tourists visiting Cambodia, and the positive high-level interactions between the Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers of both nations. This reaffirmed the strong and long-standing ties between Cambodia and Canada, demonstrating the commitment of both governments to further enhance these relations. They also expressed interest in establishing bilateral consultations to serve as a platform to explore the opportunities to further enhance cooperation in various fields.

Secretary of State Chum Sounry took the opportunity to commend Ambassador Taylor for her efforts in strengthening the bilateral relationship during her tenure. He also expressed his appreciation to the Canadian Government for its contributions to Cambodia’s socio-economic development and for pledging additional assistance to support de-mining activities which will contribute to Cambodia’s goal of becoming a mine-free country by 2025.

The two sides also discussed cooperation at multilateral fora and exchanged views on enhancing ASEAN-Canada relations. The Secretary of State reiterated Cambodia’s support for elevating the ASEAN-Canada dialogue relations to a Strategic Partnership. Both sides also noted the significance of the ongoing negotiations to establish the ASEAN-Canada Free Trade Agreement, recognizing the potential benefits it will bring to bilateral trade and economic cooperation between the region and Canada.