AKP Phnom Penh, May 13, 2026 --

Cambodia and Azerbaijan have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening parliamentary diplomacy and expanding economic cooperation, while emphasising the importance of international law and multilateralism amid growing global uncertainty.

The commitment was made in a meeting held at the National Assembly Palace on May 13 between Samdech Maha Rathsapheathika Thipadei Khuon Sudary, President of the National Assembly of Cambodia, and visiting H.E. Elchin Amirbayov, Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Special Assignments.

In the meeting, Samdech Khuon Sudary said the visit by H.E. Amirbayov reflected the continued growth of bilateral relations since Cambodia and Azerbaijan established diplomatic ties in 1995.

“Although Cambodia and Azerbaijan are geographically distant, our friendship and cooperation continue to grow stronger through active parliamentary and governmental engagement,” she said.

Samdech expressed confidence that the visit would further deepen bilateral ties and contribute to regional and global peace, stability and prosperity.

Highlighting the challenges facing smaller nations in an increasingly fragile geopolitical environment, she stressed the importance of safeguarding international law and strengthening multilateral cooperation.

“As small states, Cambodia and Azerbaijan share a strong belief that international law and multilateralism are essential pillars for peace, sovereignty, and global stability,” she said.

Samdech also praised Azerbaijan’s active role in promoting the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), describing solidarity among small and middle-power countries as increasingly important to preserving a fair and inclusive international order.

On regional issues, Samdech reaffirmed Cambodia’s commitment to resolving disputes peacefully through dialogue and international law while maintaining ASEAN centrality.

Samdech also briefed the Azerbaijani side on Cambodia’s position regarding Thailand’s unilateral cancellation of the MOU 2001, emphasising Cambodia’s commitment to peaceful solutions based on existing treaties and international legal principles.

For his part, H.E. Amirbayov conveyed greetings from Azerbaijani President H.E. Ilham Aliyev and Speaker of the Milli Majlis H.E. Sahiba Gafarova, who had previously met Samdech during official visits and international forums.

“The relations between Azerbaijan and Cambodia are at such a high level that we can truly consider ourselves a family,” he said.

The Azerbaijani envoy welcomed the growing political dialogue and parliamentary cooperation between the two countries, while thanking Cambodia for supporting Azerbaijan’s engagement with ASEAN parliamentary mechanisms and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA).

“We are very satisfied with the quality of political dialogue and the growing parliamentary cooperation between our two countries,” he said.

Both sides also discussed opportunities to expand cooperation in trade, investment, tourism, agriculture and energy, citing the complementary strengths of the two economies, with Azerbaijan possessing strong energy capabilities and Cambodia having significant agricultural potential.

H.E. Elchin Amirbayov said he looked forward to an official visit by Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet, Prime Minister of Cambodia, to Azerbaijan in October, describing it as a potential new milestone in bilateral relations following the 2014 visit by former Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen.

He also reaffirmed his country’s commitment to regional peace and stability following the restoration of its territorial integrity in 2020.

“Countries like ours must continue to stand together to promote peace, stability, and balanced international cooperation,” he said.

H.E. Amirbayov further praised Cambodia’s rapid socio-economic progress during his first official visit to the country.

Both sides expressed satisfaction with the growing momentum of parliamentary diplomacy and pledged to further strengthen political dialogue and practical cooperation for the mutual benefit of the two countries and broader regional stability.

By Chea Vannak