Philippine Ambassador Discusses Cooperation with Cambodia’s Minister of Interior

12 January 2022, Phnom Penh - Ambassador  Maria Amelita C. Aquino met with Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of  Interior Sar Kheng to discuss cooperation in areas under the Ministry of Interior as agreed  during the 3rd PH-Cambodia Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation on 1-2 December 2021.

Among the areas discussed were the implementation of the MOU on Cooperation in  Combating Transnational Crime between the Philippine National Police and the Cambodian  National Police,  and the exchange of experiences and best practices in local government administration.  Minister Sar Kheng expressed interest in learning about the Philippines’ best practices in administrative reforms, including the devolution of powers to local government units.

Ambassador  Aquino also expressed appreciation for the Minister for Interior’s assistance in the repatriation of OFWs stranded in Cambodia during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. The Philippine Embassy in Phnom Penh was able to repatriate 1,110 distressed overseas Filipino workers in Cambodia through the facilitation of the General Department of Immigation, a line agency under the Ministry of Interior (MoI).

Ambassador  Aquino expressed support for Cambodia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2022 and, for his part, Minister Kheng pledged to pursue PH and Cambodian common interests in ASEAN.   END