AKP Phnom Penh, September 21, 2026 -- In an active drive to advance economic diplomacy and tap into new trade and investment opportunities across Europe, a Cambodian business delegation led by Pinex Agro Co., Ltd. has concluded a multi-nation trade mission to Latvia, Romania, and Bulgaria.

The cross-border itinerary was designed to examine business and investment environments, analyse market demand, assess European Union logistics and packaging standards, and establish two-way trade corridors between Cambodia and the European market.

Following exploratory market discussions in Latvia and Romania, the delegation arrived in Bulgaria to conduct targeted field evaluations and engage directly with government bodies, municipal leadership, and private enterprise executives.

The Bulgarian leg was organised and coordinated by H.E. Dr. Chea Chanboribo, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Cambodia to the Republic of Bulgaria, in cooperation with M3 Group and regional industry partners.

The initiative reflects the embassy’s results-oriented approach to economic diplomacy, aiming to translate long-standing diplomatic relations between Cambodia and Bulgaria into concrete commercial partnerships, trade flows, and foreign direct investment.

High-Level Engagement with M3 Group
The delegation initiated its Sofia agenda with a business session at M3 Group, which served as the primary local facilitator connecting Cambodian delegates with Bulgarian institutions and commercial entities.

H.E. Ty Nitor, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, participated in the proceedings via video conference alongside private sector representatives, trade experts, and industry stakeholders.

Ambassador Dr. Chea Chanboribo emphasised that the traditional friendship between Cambodia and Bulgaria must be further reinforced through robust economic, trade, and investment pillars to yield tangible benefits for both business sectors.

Discussions focused on joint market research, product positioning, partner matching, and institutional support mechanisms designed to help enterprises navigate entry into both regional markets.

Distribution Network Analysis with FAMILEX

The delegation met with Eftim Ruskov, Sales Director at FAMILEX—a major Bulgarian producer and distributor of food and grocery products—to study the nation's wholesale and retail distribution channels.

The Cambodian side presented the country's cashew nut sector potential, outlining a strategic vision to scale the full cashew value chain—from cultivation, harvesting, and drying to industrial processing, packaging, brand building, and international distribution.

Delegates highlighted plans to manufacture high-value-added products, including processed cashews, cashew butter, and agricultural byproducts, with an emphasis on zero-waste raw material optimization.

Both parties agreed to utilise raw and processed cashews as a pilot product line to test local market response, pricing competitiveness, EU food safety compliance, and nationwide retail placement in Bulgaria.

Reviewing Investment Frameworks at Invest Bulgaria Agency

During a briefing at the Invest Bulgaria Agency (IBA), Secretary General Julian Balchev outlined Bulgaria's macroeconomic environment, corporate tax structure, industrial zone infrastructure, and statutory investment incentives.

The agency presented operational guidelines covering foreign investor support, business setup procedures, official project certification, administrative facilitation, and infrastructure grants tied to investment scale and location.

The Cambodian delegation reaffirmed its policy transition from exporting unrefined raw materials toward domestic industrial processing and value creation, particularly within the agro-industrial sector.

A major focus of the talks involved evaluating Bulgaria’s strategic location as a regional processing, repacking, and distribution hub to route Cambodian goods into the broader Balkan region and the EU single market.

Strengthening SME Collaboration via BSMEPA

The delegation met with Dr. Boyko Takov, Executive Director of the Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency (BSMEPA), to discuss institutional integration between small and medium-sized enterprises from both nations.

Deliberations centred on connecting SME networks through reciprocal trade missions, industrial expos, business matching, and joint project execution.
Cambodian representatives proposed the creation of a Cambodia–Bulgaria Business and Investment Hub, structured to link production, processing, packaging, e-commerce, and logistics networks between Asia and Europe.

Welcoming the initiative, BSMEPA recommended initiating the framework through focused pilot projects featuring defined product lines and supply chain partners before expanding into a full-scale regional hub.

Processing and Packaging Solutions with OBERON-X

In Sofia, delegates conferred with Sasho Shunev, General Manager of OBERON-X Ltd., to discuss manufacturing standards, custom packaging, and the feasibility of utilising Bulgarian facilities to process or package Cambodian agricultural yields prior to EU-wide distribution.

Technical talks focused on EU sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) compliance, quality control, label design, cold-chain logistics, and market customisation.

Both sides agreed to maintain technical exchanges to identify specific Cambodian commodities suitable for early-stage processing integration.

Regional Outreach in Samokov Municipality

On Sept. 19, the delegation conducted an official visit to Samokov Municipality, meeting with Mayor Dr. Eng. Angel Dzhorgov.

Mayor Dzhorgov outlined the municipality’s economic profile, highlighting strengths in tourism, food processing, timber industries, and new industrial development zones. The region includes major resort centers such as Borovets, Malyovitsa, and Belchin Banya, which offer year-round eco-tourism, sports, and wellness facilities.

The Cambodian side expressed interest in connecting domestic enterprises with Samokov-based industries, exploring future investments in agro-processing, eco-tourism, and light manufacturing within local industrial parks.

The meeting demonstrated the utility of extending economic diplomacy beyond capital-to-capital ties to direct municipal and regional business engagement.

Manufacturing Integration with DOMA

Following municipal briefings, the delegation met with Sotir Nemov, CEO of food manufacturer DOMA ("Made with Love"), and his executive team to inspect processing infrastructure and international export workflows.

DOMA executives detailed the company’s evolution from a domestic food distributor into an integrated manufacturing and export enterprise supplying products to over 30 countries.

The parties evaluated sourcing raw agricultural commodities from Cambodia, integrating Cambodian cashews into confectionery and baked product lines, and establishing import channels for Bulgarian food items into Cambodia and the wider ASEAN market.

Discussions covered technology transfers, processing automation, packaging protocols, workforce development, and direct supplier integration.

Memorandum of Understanding Signed

Marking an immediate outcome of the trade mission, Cambodia's Pinex Pro Co., Ltd. and Bulgaria's M3 Group executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a formal operational framework for public relations, marketing, business matching, and investment support.

Under the agreement, M3 Group will serve as a strategic marketing and PR partner for Cambodian firms operating in Bulgaria and Europe, while the Cambodian counterpart will facilitate market entry and investment access for Bulgarian companies looking toward Cambodia.

The signing establishes a structured administrative mechanism to transition preliminary market assessments into formalised economic cooperation.

Overall, the multi-nation study tour across Latvia, Romania, and Bulgaria enabled the Cambodian delegation to benchmark regional market dynamics, logistics routes, regulatory environments, and investment terms across Eastern Europe.

The Bulgarian engagements resulted in direct links with government agencies, municipal leadership, and corporate partners, culminating in actionable commercial agreements.

The overarching goal of this economic diplomacy initiative extends beyond traditional import-export trade to the creation of shared value chains—enabling both nations to jointly produce, process, package, and market goods across Asia and Europe.

With coordination provided by the Cambodian diplomatic mission, the initiative establishes a framework for a Cambodia–Bulgaria–EU Business Gateway, positioning Bulgaria as a strategic springboard for Cambodian products into Europe while anchoring Cambodia as an entry point for Bulgarian and European commerce into the ASEAN market.

By K. Rithy Reak