Indonesian Embassy To Organise ‘Sousdey Indonesia’ Expo 2024 In September
The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia will organise the ‘Sousdey Indonesia’ Expo on September 13-14, 2024, at the Diamond Island Exhibition and Convention Centre in Phnom Penh. The event aims to promote bilateral trade, culture, and educational opportunities for Cambodian students.
This annually held event is in its 15th edition. First started in 2006 as the Indonesian Trade and Tourism Promotion (ITTP) expo, the event has been renamed to ‘Sousdey Indonesia’ in 2024 and is expected to be bigger than previous years, featuring over 100 booths. Up to 6,000 people are estimated to also attend.
The expo will feature a variety of activities for all businesses, including exhibitions showcasing niche quality products and services, business connection and matching sessions, as well as tourism promotion.
During a press conference held at the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Phnom Penh on August 30, 2024, H.E. Santo Darmosumarto, Ambassador of Indonesia to Cambodia, stated that ‘Sousdey Indonesia’ this year will feature 73 Indonesian companies and 41 Cambodian companies.
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The Ambassador noted, “The embassy not only facilitates trade and cooperation between Indonesia and Cambodia, but also provides various services for the Indonesian community, which currently numbers almost 100,000 people living in Cambodia.”
He added that the embassy serves as both an economic and public diplomacy initiative in the country, intended to strengthen business-to-business connections and people-to-people interactions.
In terms of tourism promotion, the expo will feature presentations of tourism packages to popular destinations in Indonesia, including Bali and Borobudur, the largest Buddhist temple in Central Java.
Additionally, there will be an education fair highlighting study scholarship opportunities in Indonesia. Currently, there are an estimated 200 Cambodian students studying in Indonesia.
Cambodia-Indonesia Business Opportunities
Ambassador Darmosumarto highlighted that there is significant potential for cooperation between Indonesia and Cambodia:
I've had the opportunity to travel around Cambodia, and I see that there's a lot of potential for Indonesian cooperation with Cambodia in the trade and investment sector. [However], what is unfortunate is that not enough of Cambodia is known to the Indonesian people, and at the same time, not enough of Indonesia is known to the Cambodian people.
“So there is a clear need for both of us to enhance knowledge about one another. I think the role of the media is very important for promoting knowledge about Indonesia to the Cambodian people, and for the media in Indonesia to provide more knowledge to the Indonesian people about what is happening here in Cambodia,” he added.
In 2023, the total trade volume between Cambodia and Indonesia reached USD $1.1 billion. As of June 2024, the trade volume has reached around USD $550 million.