Cambodia and Croatia signed two documents in Phnom Penh on October 20, 2026, covering diplomatic visa exemptions and cooperation between their foreign-service training institutions. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn signed for the Cambodian government with visiting Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Dr. Gordan Grlić Radman.
The agreements address different subjects. One covers a defined passport category; the other links two diplomatic training institutions.
The visa document does not establish a general travel waiver. Its published scope is narrow, and its operational terms remain to be confirmed.
The visa waiver covers diplomatic passports, while the second deal targets training
The visa exemption applies to holders of diplomatic passports. The published details do not give an effective date or a permitted duration of stay.
They also do not say whether ordinary passports or other passport categories qualify. Travelers outside the diplomatic-passport category are not identified as covered by the agreement.
The second document is a memorandum of understanding between the National Institute of Diplomacy and International Relations and the Croatian Diplomatic Academy. It establishes cooperation between the foreign-service training bodies, but the published account does not lay out a course schedule, training placements or a start date.
The distinction is concrete: one document concerns entry requirements for diplomatic-passport holders, while the other concerns institutional cooperation. Both were signed by the two foreign ministers.
The ministers marked three decades of relations and discussed trade, transport and demining
Before the signing, Sokhonn and Grlić Radman discussed bilateral ties and areas for further cooperation. They noted the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year and described their friendship and cooperation as having developed over three decades.
Their agenda ranged from trade and investment to agro-industry. They also discussed transportation and logistics, education, tourism, demining and people-to-people ties.
The ministers’ joint message extended beyond bilateral projects. They reaffirmed cooperation through multilateral platforms, with the stated aims of supporting peace, stability and sustainable development in their regions and beyond.
They cited multilateralism and respect for international law as guiding principles. The visiting minister arrived on Monday for a two-day official visit, which included meetings with the prime minister and Senate president.
Hun Manet welcomed Croatian support for mine clearance
Prime Minister Hun Manet received Grlić Radman for a courtesy call and working discussion at the Peace Palace on Monday. The Cambodian People’s Party said the two discussed strengthening relations and expanding cooperation across key sectors for mutual benefit.
Grlić Radman thanked his hosts for their welcome and hospitality. He pointed to the visa document and training memorandum as evidence of progress, and raised opportunities to improve the kingdom’s connectivity with the European Union.
Hun Manet called the visit historic and highlighted trade, investment and tourism as areas with potential for deeper cooperation. Mine clearance and unexploded ordnance also featured in their discussion.
The prime minister congratulated the visiting minister’s country on fulfilling its obligations under the Ottawa Convention. He said his government understood the devastating consequences of landmines and unexploded ordnance, and praised assistance with mine clearance and UXO removal.
That support, Hun Manet said, included technology, experience-sharing and technical expertise. The two leaders agreed to continue cooperation in politics and diplomacy, trade and investment, tourism, clean energy and security.
The topics at the Peace Palace meeting broadened the visit’s focus beyond the two signed documents. They included both economic ties and practical cooperation on mine action.
Hun Sen backed the agreements and urged talks on tax and investment
Grlić Radman met Senate President Hun Sen at the Senate’s Solidarity Palace on Tuesday afternoon, Senate spokesperson Chea Thyrith said. Hun Sen called the visit “an important contribution to further strengthening and advancing relations between the two countries.”
The Croatian minister described Hun Sen as an important figure in building peace in the kingdom and promoting peace regionally and globally. He also called the kingdom an important partner and said it played an active role in ASEAN.
Grlić Radman briefed the Senate president on his meetings with Sokhonn and Hun Manet. He said the signed agreements aim to expand cooperation in trade, investment and economic affairs, as well as human resource development, particularly diplomatic training.
Hun Sen welcomed the minister’s positive assessment and supported the agreements’ aims. He encouraged both governments to explore further areas of cooperation and consider future agreements on investment protection and avoiding double taxation.
Those proposals were raised as possible future agreements, separate from the two documents signed during the visit.
