After closing down its tiny Phnom Penh embassy in 2009, Canada has opened a new diplomatic office inside the British Embassy staffed by a single Canadian official, according to a statement released Friday.
“Under theleadership of Canada’s Ambassador, resident in Bangkok [Philip Calvert], the Office is responsible for all political and commercial relations with Cambodia,” the statement said.
“It will also provide consular services to Canadians, a responsibility which until now had been assumed by the Embassy of Australia.”
Mr. Calvert, Canada’s ambassador to Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, will continue to reside in Bangkok, but said in the statement that Cambodia’s development necessitated greater engagement by his government.
“Now, with the growth of Cambodia’s economy, Canadian companies and educational institutions are seeking new opportunities to enhance ties. The office in Phnom Penh will play a crucial role in supporting and expanding our partnership in all fields,” he said.
Canada’s original embassy in Phnom Penh—inside the old Australian Embassy on Street 254—was established in 1992 but shut in May 2009 amid a “serious re-examination of Canada’s current diplomatic representation throughout the world.”
Canada has not had an ambassador to Cambodia since Donica Pottie left in 2007.
