President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has engaged in productive discussions with the visiting Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen.

The Cambodian PM arrived in the Maldives on Sunday and was officially welcomed on Monday, with a special ceremony held in the capital city Male'.

The official talks were joined by senior officials from both countries, at the President’s Office.

The discussions saw President Solih and PM Hun Sen shedding light on the existing bilateral relations between the two countries.

The two leaders also stated that the visit marks a historic milestone in bilateral ties between Maldives and Cambodia, going on to note that it has already opened a new chapter of close cooperation, which will be enhanced in the future.

The Maldivian president and Cambodian PM also engaged in discussions regarding shaping the future ties of both countries in multiple sectors where they may share mutual arrangements.

As such, extensive discussions were held on boosting bilateral, regional, and international cooperation in mutual areas of interest.

Other topics of discussion included education, human resource development, tourism cooperation, economic and trade cooperation as well as increasing air connectivity.

Further, both leaders spoke extensively regarding cooperation in healthcare, fisheries, agriculture, environment, climate change in regional, international cooperation as well as areas of security and counterterrorism.

Stressing on the significance of developing the healthcare sector, the Maldivian leader noted that Maldives has embarked on an ambitious programme to enhance healthcare, focusing on three main areas including training and specialization of local healthcare professionals, recruitment of expatriate doctors and specialists and sourcing of generic as well as controlled pharmaceuticals.

Expressing his ambition to strengthen cooperation in higher education, President Solih went on to express keen interest to explore educational opportunities for Maldivian youth in Cambodia.

As such, he noted that the Maldivian government is interested to seek opportunities to establish an exchange programme for students, adding that it would open up a new knowledge stream in academia.

Moreover, he expressed pleasure for being able to offer  two scholarships for Cambodian students to attend the Maldives National University (MNU).

The official talks saw the Cambodian PM offering 10 scholarships for Maldivian students.

President Solih also touched upon cooperation in the fields of economy and commerce, noting that Maldives is seeking to expand its economic outlook and diversify its industries and stated that the archipelago nation strongly encourages investment.

With this, he invited Cambodian investors to take advantage of the opportunity to form meaningful and mutually beneficial partnerships with Maldivian businesses.

The Maldivian leader went on to express hope for a “very” fruitful outcome from the ongoing business forum between the members of the chambers of commerce of both countries.

Discussions also revolved around the possibilities of seeking training and skills development opportunities for Maldivians at Cambodia's agricultural institutions and building cooperation mechanisms.

The official talks also saw President Solih expressing interest to seek opportunities to import rice to the Maldives from Cambodia at a viable rate.

President Solih went on to express the government’s interest to explore further options to import other agricultural produce and non-food items.

With regard to the agreements exchanged on Monday, both leaders stated that it will enable relevant institutions in both countries to form a Joint Working Group and pursue initiatives related to the establishment of air links as well as joint marketing and promotion and exchange initiatives in the hospitality sector to achieve the shared tourism goals.

Discussions also focused on the ongoing deliberations on concluding an air services agreement between the two countries.

The talks concluded with both leaders reaffirming their commitment to further solidify the ties of friendship between the Maldives and Cambodia.

President Solih and the Cambodian PM also briefly met for restricted talks at the President's Office, prior to the official talks.