(Phnom Penh)
On Thursday afternoon, December 16, 2021, at the Council for the Development of Cambodia, His Excellency Chhieng Yanara, Minister Attached to the Prime Minister and Secretary General of the Cambodian Rehabilitation and Development Board of the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CRDB/CDC) held a courtesy meeting with His Excellency W. Patrick Murphy, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Cambodia. The main purposes of this courtesy were to introduce the newly appointed Mission Director of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), discuss the priorities of bilateral development cooperation as well as exchange views on related aspects.
H.E. Minister Chhieng Yanara warmly welcomed H.E. Ambassador and congratulated Ms. Nancy J. Eslick, the newly Mission Director of USAID, for being appointed by the U.S. government to fulfill her mission in Cambodia. H.E. Minister, on behalf of the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC), highly valued the achievements made by the U.S. government and people in supporting both technical and financial in health, education, agriculture, environment and governance and cross-cutting sector, particularly the grant commitment of USD 15 million and 1,06 million doses of COVID-19’s vaccine (Johnson & Johnson) in supporting Cambodia’s COVID-19 responses and socio-economic recovery.
H.E. Ambassador highly praised the RGC for its efforts and achievements in Cambodia’s development especially the well-control of the spread of the COVID-19 and the achievement to provide COVID-19 vaccine to the Cambodia people and foreigner who are currently residing and working in Cambodia. H.E. Ambassador also introduced the newly Mission Director of USAID Ms. Nancy J. Eslick who begins the mission in Cambodia from now on, and highly valued and praised the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) for excellent coordination and partnership with the U.S government so far through the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia, USAID Cambodia Office and other agencies of the U.S. Ms. Nancy J. Eslick expressed her pleasure for being appointed to begin the mission in Cambodia and committed to further strengthen bilateral cooperation and partnership.
Both sides also discuss the priorities of bilateral development cooperation and also discuss on New Draft Development Objective Grant Agreement (DOAGs 2021-2025) between the RGC and the U.S government which is scheduled to conclude the negotiation and is ready to sign during the first quarter of 2022. Under this agreement, the U.S. government plans to provide approximately USD 300 million to support health, education agriculture, and environment sectors for the five-years period. In addition, both sides also discussed and exchanged viewed on a number of related aspects including the impact of COVID-19, boosting trade and exports between the two countries, environment, agriculture, food security and nutrition, and the Cambodia’s chairmanship of ASEAN in 2022.
Before concluding the meeting, both sides expressed their firm commitment to further strengthen and expand cooperation and partnership for sustainable and inclusive development in Cambodia. H.E. Chhieng Yanara, Minister Attached to the Prime Minister and Secretary General of CRDB/CDC, expressed his sincere appreciations and wished H.E. W. Patrick Murphy and Ms. Nancy J. Eslick, succeed in their diplomatic mission in Cambodia.