Resurrecting after years of deadlocked negotiations, Türkiye-Cambodia to soon have direct flights?

Cambodia and Türkiye are accelerating efforts to establish direct flights between the two countries as soon as possible.

Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sok Chenda Sophea and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara on May 28, 2024. (Source: Anadolu)

The latest effort was demonstrated during the official visit to Türkiye by Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sok Chenda Sophea from May 28-29. Mr. Sok Chenda Sophea met with a number of leaders of the host country, discussing various areas of cooperation.

“Regarding trade and investment, both sides agreed on the need for direct flights between Türkiye and Cambodia,” according to a press release from the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on May 31. The Eurasian country will work to encourage Turkish Airlines to “launch direct flights as soon as possible to facilitate trade, investment and tourism.”

In addition, “both sides acknowledged the huge potential for future investment in areas such as agro-industry, education, food processing, green energy development and tourism.”

This year marks the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Cambodia and Türkiye (1959-2024).

Minister Chenda Sophea stressed the “excellent” relationship between the two countries, but noted that the annual trade volume between the two countries is still less than $1 billion, amid the determination of the two countries’ leaders to surpass this mark since 2018.

He suggested that Turkey consider Cambodia as part of the vast Southeast Asian market of more than 650 million people, linked to a network of regional and bilateral trade agreements, such as the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (AFTA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), as well as Cambodia's free trade agreements with China and South Korea.

Türkiye will make efforts to urge Turkish Airlines to soon launch direct flights to Cambodia to facilitate trade, investment and tourism. (Source: Phnom Penh Post)

Speaking to the Phnom Penh Post , a spokesman for Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism said that direct flights between the two countries, when effective, will help increase the number of Turkish tourists visiting the country of temples. In the first quarter of this year alone, 2,480 Turkish tourists visited the land of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom.

The direct flight connection “will be convenient for tourists from Türkiye and neighboring countries to fly to Cambodia. Direct connection is very important because it helps reduce costs and save time for passengers,” Mr. Top Sopheak affirmed.

Mr. Thuon Sinan, President of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Cambodia, also sees great benefits of direct flights between the two countries, but notes that negotiations have been going on for years with no sign of opening new routes.

“Türkiye is a hub connecting the Middle East and Europe, both in terms of business and aviation. When flying to Europe, many people transit through Turkey,” he said. “So direct flights with Turkey will create a link between Cambodia and the Middle East and the EU, as well as the US and Canada.”

While Mr. Thuon Sinan stressed the need to develop a clear strategy to make such efforts a reality, Mr. Sopheak further explained that the Ministry of Tourism is working hard towards this goal but it cannot be achieved quickly and easily.

“It is not something we can do right away because there are many conditions that need to be met before we can establish direct flights. We are still working to improve the tourism sector,” he added.

According to the Department of Statistics of the Ministry of Tourism, up to now, this year, Cambodia has welcomed 1.58 million international tourists, an increase of 22.5% over the same period last year.

During the same period, there were 6,488 international flights recorded, with around 500-510 flights per week.

There are currently 30 airlines operating in this Southeast Asian country.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/vuc-day-sau-dam-phan-be-tac-nhieu-nam-tho-nhi-ky-campuchia-som-co-chuyen-bay-thang-273361.html