Phnom Penh, May 21, 2025 – H.E. Hem Vanndy, Minister of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation, today met with H.E. Obaid Saeed Obaid Bintaresh Aldhaheri, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Cambodia, to explore new avenues of bilateral cooperation in industry and science, technology and innovation (STI), building on the momentum of the Cambodia-UAE Free Trade Agreement signed in 2023.

During the meeting, the Ambassador shared that a UAE business delegation will visit Cambodia in November 2025 to explore investment opportunities and there will be flights between the two countries beginning in June.

“We look at Cambodia and we see potential, we see growth,” said Ambassador Aldhaheri. “We have companies specialized in AI and data centers and we can at least have them come over to share experience in AI, apps and software development.”

Minister Vanndy welcomed these developments and praised the UAE’s offer to provide science scholarships for Cambodian students. “Human resource development in science and technology is critical, as technology is the fifth pillar of our Pentagonal Strategy,” he said.

“We are transforming our economy through industrialization and digitalization, and we look forward to working with UAE on investment, innovation, and value-added production.”

Minister Vanndy also invited UAE tech companies to participate in Cambodia’s National Day of Science, Technology and Innovation in March 2026, a proposal the Ambassador pledged to support.