The key facts

  • Erdogan received Hun Manet with an official ceremony at Dolmabahce in Istanbul on October 16
  • A military framework agreement was signed: for Turkey by Hakan Fidan, for Cambodia by Deputy Defense Minister Prak Sokhonn
  • The bilateral trade turnover target of $1 billion, set in 2018, has not yet been reached — talks continue

Official meeting in Istanbul

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday, October 16, received Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, who arrived in Turkey at his invitation. The ceremony took place at the Dolmabahce Presidential Residence in Istanbul. After the presentation of delegations, a one-on-one meeting was held, followed by expanded talks. They were attended by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, the President's Director of Communications Burhanettin Duran, and the President's chief adviser Akif Cagatay Kilic.

Erdogan: Cambodia is an important partner in Southeast Asia

At a joint press conference, Erdogan said that Turkey sees Cambodia as an important partner in Southeast Asia and noted the rapid development of bilateral relations in recent years. He recalled that during the visit of then Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to Turkey in 2018, the sides agreed to raise trade turnover to $1 billion. 'Our efforts to achieve this goal continue,' Erdogan said, expressing hope that the Turkish-Cambodian business forum held earlier that day would strengthen ties between business communities. He also said that cooperation in trade, investment, defense industry, energy, education and culture was discussed, and expressed satisfaction with Cambodia's interest in Turkish defense industry products.

Humanitarian projects and regional topics

Erdogan highlighted the projects of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and the Yunus Emre Institute in Cambodia, as well as support for the education of Cambodian students under the Turkiye Scholarships program. On the border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand, he said that Turkey hopes for a settlement through dialogue and peaceful means based on international law, and reported that Turkey, with the assistance of Cambodian authorities, has already provided aid to more than 3,000 affected civilians. Erdogan also welcomed Cambodia's participation as a founding member in the Board of Peace and expressed hope that the country would continue contributing to efforts toward the two-state solution in Palestine.

Manet: a new stage of relations and the military agreement

Prime Minister Hun Manet highly praised Turkey's growing role in regional and global affairs, its development and strategic autonomy, calling its active constructive engagement in international efforts for peace and stability, including the Middle East, 'excellent.' He noted that the friendly relations between the two countries have lasted more than six decades, and that his visit opens a new chapter in their development. According to him, the sides have taken concrete steps to strengthen cooperation in political, defense and security spheres: 'Today we signed a military framework agreement — a very important step in this direction.' Manet also confirmed the significant potential for expanding trade and investment and stated that Cambodia, through RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership), is ready to work with Turkish business as a strategic gateway to Asian markets.

Signing of the agreement and invitation to Cambodia

The military framework agreement was signed in the presence of Erdogan and Manet: for Turkey it was signed by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and for Cambodia by Deputy Defense Minister Prak Sokhonn. Manet thanked TIKA for its contribution to Cambodia's socio-economic development, including infrastructure, women's empowerment and training programs for Cambodian Muslim women. He emphasized the importance of cooperation in tourism, education and cultural exchanges, as well as interaction through the UN and ASEAN, congratulating Turkey on its ASEAN dialogue partner status. Manet also invited Erdogan to visit Cambodia.