President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrived in Cambodia on Sunday for a state visit at the invitation of His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni, marking a significant step in strengthening the Philippines’ diplomatic and economic relations with the Kingdom of Cambodia.
Philippine Airlines flight PR-001, which transported the President together with First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and his official delegation, landed safely by 4:08 p.m. (Manila time) at the Phnom Penh International Airport.
“We have seen dynamism in the partnership between the Philippines and Cambodia across key sectors. These sectors include defense and security, trade, agriculture, heritage preservation, among others,” President Marcos said in his departure statement.
“During my visit, I will discuss ways to further diversify our cooperation and strengthen our intra-ASEAN relationships and exchanges by capitalizing on our complementary strengths in the face of global economic headwinds,” he added.
President Marcos also emphasized the importance of expanding the Philippines’ commercial ties and building more resilient value chains.
He underlined that enhanced defense and security collaborations with Cambodia are vital for maintaining a peaceful and resilient Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) community.
“The Philippines has been a resolute partner of Cambodia in addressing both traditional and non-traditional security challenges confronting our region, such as transnational crimes,” the President said.
Highlighting the importance of shared growth, Mr. Marcos pointed to the ongoing cooperation, which allows Cambodian students to pursue higher education in the Philippines through scholarship grants sponsored by the government, particularly in science and technology.
As the Philippines prepares to assume the ASEAN Chairship in 2026, President Marcos emphasized the principle of ASEAN Centrality—advocating for regional unity and leadership—and reaffirmed the country’s commitment to fostering an inclusive and progressive regional community.
This state visit aims to reinforce the historic friendship between the two nations, which predates the establishment of formal diplomatic relations in 1957, and to explore new avenues for collaboration in defense, trade, and cultural exchange.
“I look forward to all of these very productive meetings that we have scheduled and I am sure that we will find many, many ways that we can develop to be beneficial to both our countries, Cambodia and the Philippines,” President Marcos said in his message.
