Phnom Penh, 20 December 2024 – His Excellency CHUM Sounry, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, met with Mr. David Verbiwski, Chargé d’Affairs of Office of the Embassy of Canada in Phnom Penh, and Ms. Katherine North, Senior Project Manager of Global Affairs Canada’s Anti-Crime Capacity Building Program, who was in Cambodia to discuss about Canada’s support to Cambodia in the framework of Canada’s anti-crime capacity building program in the Indo-Pacific region.
Chargé d'Affaires David Verbiwski handed over to Secretary of State Sounry a diplomatic note informing the Kingdom of Cambodia that Canada will upgrade its current Office in Phnom Penh to a full Embassy with a resident Ambassador, in line with Prime Minister Trudeau's recent announcement at the 2024 ASEAN Leader's Summit in Vientiane. The Secretary of State and Chargé d'Affaires expressed satisfaction with the development in the bilateral ties and discussed some activities to be carried out in the future for the sake of bilateral cooperation, especially the upcoming visit of Canada’s trade delegation to Cambodia to explore ways and means for trade promotion.
Ms. Katherine North briefed the Secretary of State on Canada’s support for Cambodia through capacity-building initiatives in combating money laundering, human trafficking, and drug trafficking, and pledged continued support under Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, including training for Cambodian officials in cybercrime and anti-money laundering.
Cambodia reaffirmed its commitment to combat human trafficking, acknowledging the issue while stressing that it is not as severe as reported in some media outlets. The Cambodian government has strong political commitment to tackle cybercrime, especially online scams, and has engaged in regional and international efforts to combat this modern form of transnational crime.
On anti-money laundering, His Excellency Sounry underscored Cambodia’s significant progress since 2020 after enacting stringent laws and regulations, resulting in its removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) 'Grey List' in early 2023. Recent efforts to block illicit cryptocurrency exchanges and online gambling websites further highlight Cambodia's determination to prevent illegal activities in these areas, he stressed.
