Phnom Penh:Cambodia and Germany have reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing bilateral socio-economic cooperation, with a focus on attracting more German private-sector investment into Cambodia.
According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, this commitment was emphasized during a meeting between Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, H.E. Academician Aun Pornmoniroth, and the newly appointed German Ambassador, H.E. Ms. Silke Röfer, at the Ministry on October 27.
During the meeting, H.E. Academician Aun Pornmoniroth expressed gratitude for Germany's continued development support, recognizing Germany as a key European Union partner that has significantly contributed to Cambodia's socio-economic progress over the past three decades.
German development assistance through KfW Development Bank and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) has amounted to approximately US$897 million over the last 30 years. This includes US$726 million in grants and technical assistance, and US$171 million in concessional loans, targeting sectors such as economic and trade development, education, rural infrastructure, energy, healthcare, social protection, governance, and gender equality.
The Deputy Prime Minister highlighted Cambodia's strategic goal to graduate from Least Developed Country (LDC) status by 2029, stressing the importance of sustained growth, macroeconomic stability, and reforms in public financial management, debt management, and domestic capital mobilization. He called on Germany to continue supporting Cambodia's national development priorities and encouraged German businesses to increase their market presence in the country.
Ambassador Röfer praised the Royal Government's economic resilience and fiscal management achievements. She reaffirmed Germany's commitment to ongoing development support through KfW and GIZ, aligned with Cambodia's national development framework, and noted a growing interest among German companies in exploring new investment opportunities across Cambodia.