A senior official at the Royal Academy of Cambodia told The Post on Tuesday that the Kingdom can receive three main benefits from strengthening its economic and political ties with Russia.
Royal Academy of Cambodia president Sok Touch said Cambodia should look to strengthen ties in the areas of energy, space technology and military cooperation.
His comments come following Sunday’s announcement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation that the minister, Prak Sokhonn, and Russia’s Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Dmitry Kobylkin recently held a meeting as part of the latter’s two-day state visit to the Kingdom on January 24 and 25.
The two reportedly held talks on Cambodian-Russian cooperation in commerce, the economy, science and technology, discussing some 44 agreements signed between the two nations since 2015. A further 11 agreements are still in the process of being negotiated.
The pair also agreed on new measures to enhance trade, investment and economic relations. Cooperation was agreed on mineral extraction, electricity, natural gas and oil, transportation, infrastructure for information technology, heavy machinery and agricultural product sectors.
Both ministers are optimistic about the progress of potential partnerships in environmental protection and nuclear power for peaceful purposes and welcomed the promotion of fruitful cooperation in environmental, waste management, clean water and city development.
They agreed to create a nuclear power information centre and to finalise negotiations on the agreement to establish a science and nuclear technology centre.
Victor Jona, the director-general of the General Department of Energy, told The Post that the establishment of the nuclear centres served to expand knowledge on the aspects of safety, security, and protection of nuclear power consumption and is in preparation for the establishment of a nuclear factory in Cambodia.
He said that unbeknown to most, some scanning devices at hospitals, and the seaport and airport are operated by nuclear power.
“In the strategic campaign of Cambodia, we do not have any plan to build a nuclear factory in this period until 2030."
“But we are preparing a master plan relating to the development of the energy sector and until 2040. And this includes the energy production run by nuclear power,” he said.
A ministry press release said Russia had agreed to increase the number of scholarships for Cambodian students to support the restoration and maintenance of the Preah Vihear Temple, the modernisation of the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital, and hold talks on having direct flights between both countries.