Cambodia and Kazakhstan Sign Six Agreements on Digital Government, Trade and Tourism
Cambodia and Kazakhstan Sign Six Agreements on Digital Government, Trade and Tourism
ASTANA, October 17, 2026 — Cambodia and Kazakhstan have agreed to deepen bilateral relations and strengthen cooperation in trade, investment, digital technology, artificial intelligence and tourism, following talks between Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
The two leaders met on the morning of October 17 during Hun Manet’s official visit to Astana, which ran from October 16 to 17, according to the Cambodian government’s announcement.
Tokayev welcomed Hun Manet and the Cambodian delegation, describing the visit as a historic milestone for relations between the two countries. He noted that Hun Manet’s visit was the first by a Cambodian prime minister since Hun Sen visited Kazakhstan in 1982, when he was serving as Cambodia’s deputy foreign minister.
Tokayev expressed confidence that the visit would open a new chapter in bilateral relations and elevate cooperation to a higher level.
Hun Manet thanked the Kazakh president for the warm welcome, saying the visit would create further opportunities to strengthen ties and expand cooperation at bilateral, regional and international levels.
Trade, AI and tourism among key priorities
The two leaders discussed ways to deepen cooperation across several areas, including politics and diplomacy, economic affairs, trade, investment, science, technology, artificial intelligence and security.
They also highlighted opportunities to strengthen people-to-people exchanges through reciprocal scholarships, promote tourism and explore the possibility of establishing an aviation agreement between the two countries.
Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to supporting one another in regional and international affairs for the mutual benefit of their peoples.
Six cooperation documents signed
Following their bilateral talks, Hun Manet and Tokayev co-chaired a ceremony for the signing and exchange of six cooperation documents covering digital government, economic relations, tourism, culture and local government partnerships.
The six documents include:
- Digital government and information technology: A memorandum of understanding involving Cambodia’s Ministry of Interior, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development, and the joint-stock company National Information Technologies, covering digital government and information and communications technology cooperation.
- Digital government cooperation: An agreement between Cambodia’s Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development.
- Trade and economic cooperation: A memorandum of understanding between the governments of Cambodia and Kazakhstan.
- Tourism cooperation: An agreement between Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism and Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
- Culture and fine arts: A memorandum between Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Culture and Information.
- Capital-city partnership: An agreement to establish a friendship relationship between Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital, and Astana, Kazakhstan’s capital.
A new chapter in bilateral relations
The visit builds on decades of diplomatic relations and reflects both countries’ interest in expanding cooperation beyond traditional diplomatic engagement.
With six documents signed across key sectors, Cambodia and Kazakhstan have established a broader framework for cooperation in digital transformation, trade, tourism, cultural exchange and city-to-city relations.
The two governments have expressed a commitment to advancing these partnerships and strengthening ties for the benefit of their respective populations.
