East Timor ambassdor seeks new Cambodian investments

East Timor ambassdor seeks new Cambodian investments

Ermenegildo “Kupa” Lopes, the new Ambassador of East Timor to Cambodia, promised on Monday to strengthen diplomatic relations with the Kingdom and expressed an interest in attracting Cambodian investments to East Timor.

Lopes discussed his diplomatic mission at a meeting with National Assembly president Heng Samrin at the National Assembly in Phnom Penh.

Samrin’s Facebook page said Lopes stressed that East Timor is full of natural resources and international investors are needed to monetise them.

Currently, East Timor has attracted investors from Indonesia, the US and other countries but not yet from Cambodia.

National Assembly spokesman Leng Peng Long said the purpose of the meeting was to open a friendly dialogue on economic relations between the two countries.

Lopes did not clarify which sectors in East Timor needed the most investment.

Peng Long said: “Lopes only said there are investors from countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia and the US.

“He mentioned that there were no investors from Cambodia and he requested Cambodians to consider East Timor as a possible investment destination.”

Samrin accepted an invitation from Lopes to visit East Timor at a suitable time in the future.

Lopes also said he admired Cambodia for its successful effort in repelling the threat of Covid-19, Peng Long said.

Samrin said the two countries will continue to cooperate on tourism, agriculture, and human resources improvements.

He said Cambodia will continue to support East Timor’s membership in the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) and ASEAN plus one.

On May 27, Prime Minister Hun Sen met with Lopes and said he wanted East Timor rice companies to set up warehouses, factories, drying areas and purchaser networks in Cambodia.

He said this would help Cambodia produce enough rice to be able to export to East Timor.

Credited: The Phnom Penh Post