Cambodia signs landmark visa waiver with Seychelles |11 September 2012

This agreement was signed in Phnom Penh by Seychelles’ non-resident ambassador to Cambodia, Philippe Le Gall, and the secretary of state in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Long Visalo.

This agreement is a historical achievement as it is the first time that Cambodia enters such agreement with a non-Asian country.
 
For Seychelles’ diplomacy it is a new, concrete result of the government’s efforts to give all Seychellois nationals the possibility of travelling as freely and smoothly as possible in a larger number of countries round the world and in Asia in particular.

“This landmark agreement is another win for Seychelles and it shows that not only are our ambassadors putting the Seychellois people at the forefront of our diplomacy, but our people are being recognised as desirable travellers who respect the customs and laws of foreign nations,” said the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jean-Paul Adam.

Seychelles and Cambodia have previously signed an Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement in December 2010 and a joint commission is expected to take place in 2013 to define a preliminary action plan that would also cover agriculture and trade.

In this context Ambassador Le Gall held separate talks with Dr Mok Mareth, the senior Minister for Environment, Thai Norak Sathya, the advisor to Prime Minister Hun Sen and secretary of state for Culture, and Dr Thong Khon, the Minister for Tourism to propose the signing of a memorandum of understanding to facilitate cooperation in tourism between the two countries.
 
During the visit the ambassador also proposed talks on the signing of a Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement-BIPPA, a proposition welcomed by Mr Visalo.

This visa waiver is expected to enter into force on the Cambodian side after 4-6 weeks.