AKP Phnom Penh, June 19, 2026 -- Cambodia and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) have discussed the possibility of pursuing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) as part of efforts to strengthen trade and economic cooperation and expand market opportunities.

The discussion took place during a working meeting between Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, and H.E. Bakytzhan Sagintayev, Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), on the sidelines of the ASEAN-Russia Commemorative Summit marking the 35th anniversary of ASEAN-Russia relations, held in Kazan, Russian Federation, from June 17-18.

During the meeting, H.E. Bakytzhan Sagintayev expressed his pleasure at meeting Prime Minister Hun Manet and welcomed the progress achieved in relations and cooperation between the EAEU and Cambodia over the past decade.

In response, Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet highly valued the growing cooperation between Cambodia and the EAEU, particularly in the area of trade. The Prime Minister highlighted Cambodia’s ongoing efforts to diversify both its markets and trade partners, noting that this presents a favourable opportunity for both sides to examine and consider an FTA.

Samdech Thipadei stressed that trade and investment engagement with Cambodia should not be viewed solely in terms of access to the Cambodian market, but also as a gateway to broader regional and international markets through Cambodia’s existing bilateral FTAs, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and ASEAN’s integrated market.

In this context, the Prime Minister noted that concluding an FTA with Cambodia could create new opportunities for the EAEU to expand its market access more broadly across the region.

The two sides also discussed ways to increase trade volume by identifying sectors with strong potential and mutual benefit.

Prime Minister Hun Manet and the EEC Chairman agreed that Cambodia and the EAEU possess significant untapped trade potential and that deeper cooperation could unlock further economic opportunities. They noted that a future FTA could serve as an important driver for expanding and enhancing trade relations between Cambodia and the EAEU.

By C. Nika