Prime Minister Hun Sen shakes hands with German Chancellor Olaf in a bilateral meeting on December 14. SPM
Cambodia’s commitment to moving towards clean, green energy in the near future has earned support from Germany.
Prime Minister Hun Sen informed German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that renewable energy now accounts for 62 percent of the Kingdom’s energy supply, and Cambodia is committed to moving towards clean and green energy in the near future.
Hun Sen met with Scholz in a bilateral meeting on December 14, held on the sidelines of the ASEAN-EU Commemorative Summit. During the meeting, he thanked Germany for selling 200 MW generator to Cambodia in 2019 to fill a gap in energy needs that was caused by a severe draught, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in a December 15 press statement.
“Scholz welcomed Cambodia’s commitment toward a green future, and expressed Germany’s readiness to support it in this endeavour. On the energy issue, he shared details of Germany’s efforts to become energy independent, and suggested that Cambodia makes the right decision on its energy strategy,” the ministry said.
Hun Sen expressed his satisfaction with the progress Cambodia and Germany have made together over the years. He hoped cooperation would continue to grow in areas of mutual interests such as trade, investment, digital economy, human capital, and micro, small, and medium enterprises, among others.
The two leaders also discussed the Ukraine war at length.
Scholz briefed Hun Sen on Germany’s efforts to address the war, in particular his numerous conversations with Russia to find acceptable solutions for all concerned parties. He voiced strong objections to the use or threat of nuclear weapons, and underscored that any use of them, whether small or large, would be of catastrophic consequences.
According to Scholz, there are millions of Ukrainian refugees in Europe, and 1 million in Germany alone.
Hun Sen told him that Cambodia adheres to the principles of a rule-based and responsible country. It follows the United Nations Charter, and its universally recognised laws, norms and principles, strictly. The Kingdom objects to annexation and the use of or threats of force by any nation against another sovereign state.
Cambodia co-sponsored a UN Resolution on these matters, and issued statements calling for an immediate ceasefire and a return to dialogue in its capacity as the ASEAN chair, which further reaffirmed the country’s commitments to its international obligations, Hun Sen said.
While he believed Germany has a key role in bringing about a peaceful settlement to the war in Ukraine, Hun Sen expressed his hope that the concerned parties will refrain from actions that may escalate and increase violence, and that a conducive environment can be created for humanitarian assistance to be delivered to those most in need.
He told the German Federal Chancellor that Cambodia will provide training to 15 Ukrainian deminers in January 2023 in Phnom Penh, and will dispatch a team of experts to conduct another training for Ukrainian deminers in April 2023 in Poland, with support from Japan.
