Phnom Penh, Jul 24 (IANS): India's Ambassador Dinesh K. Patnaik pledged Tuesday to urge Indian airlines to operate direct flights to Cambodia in order to boost bilateral relations in trade, investment and tourism.

The ambassador made the remarks during a meeting with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, reported Xinhua.

He said in his diplomatic term he would do all his best to encourage Indian investors to do business here in rice mills, tourism and mining.

Hor Namhong said Cambodia and India have had a good and long-standing diplomatic relation and expressed hope that the ambassador's mission would deepen the bilateral ties.

The relations in trade, investment and tourism between Cambodia and India are still relatively small.

According to Koy Kuong, spokesperson for Cambodia's foreign affairs ministry, the two-way trade volume last year was $86 million, up 43 percent from a year earlier.

In terms of investment, the country last year received only $6.3 million from India in a single project of rice processing factory, whilst in tourism, some 15,000 Indians travelled to Cambodia, up 15 percent.