PHNOM PENH, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia and Myanmar pledged on Saturday to enhance their bilateral relations in trade, tourism and education, according to a Cambodian senior official.
The pledge was made during a meeting here between Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen and visiting Myanmar President U Htin Kyaw, said Eang Sophalleth, an assistant to the prime minister.
He said Kyaw told Hun Sen that the two Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) members had much room for growth in trade, tourism and education cooperation, and suggested that the two countries promote cooperation in these fields.
"In response, Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen agreed with the suggestions," the assistant told reporters after the meeting, adding that Hun Sen also thanked Myanmar for granting scholarships to Cambodian Buddhist monks to study in Myanmar.
Meanwhile, the prime minister said the two countries needed to further strengthen their bilateral cooperation in the frameworks of Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS), Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam (CLMV) cooperation, Greater Mekong Sub-region cooperation, and ASEAN.
Trade volume between the two countries is still relatively small. On the tourism side, 11,441 Myanmar visitors came to Cambodia in the first 11 months of 2016, a 43-percent rise year-on-year, according to a Cambodian tourism data.
Kyaw made the four-day state visit to Cambodia on Friday at the invitation of King Norodom Sihamoni. He will conclude his trip on Monday after visiting the famed Angkor archeological park in northwestern Siem Reap province.
Kyaw of the ruling National League for Democracy, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, was elected as Myanmar's president in March 2016.
