Bangladesh visit

BANGLADESHI Foreign Minister Dipu Moni is scheduled for an official visit to the Kingdom next week aimed at strengthening diplomatic ties and boosting bilateral cooperation, a government statement said yesterday.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said that cooperation on agricultural investment was “clearly a priority” for discussions during her visit.

Dipu Moni will pay an audience to King Norodom Sihamoni and hold meetings with Prime Minister Hun Sen, Foreign Minister Hor Namhong and Minister of Agriculture Chan Sarun over a two-day visit in Phnom Penh starting December 27, according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Bangladeshi delegation will also tour the Angkor temple complex in Siem Reap province.

Koy Kuong said bilateral trade was low between the two countries. In 2009, Cambodia exported less than US$400,000 worth of goods to Bangladesh and imported $1.3 million in return.

Cambodia and Bangladesh are competitors in the garment industry, both paying some of the lowest wages in the world. While Cambodian workers are paid a minimum wage of $61 per month, Bangladeshi workers earn a minimum of just $43 per month.