Prime Minister Hun Sen meets with Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh at Memot district in Tbong Khmum province in June. SPM
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will lead a delegation on a two-day official visit to Cambodia before attending the November 10-13 ASEAN Summit and related meetings, while Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also confirmed that he will attend the summit.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, during his November 8-9 visit, Chinh will be granted a royal audience by King Norodom Sihamoni and will pay separate courtesy calls on Senate president Say Chhum and National Assembly president Heng Samrin.
Prime Minister Hun Sen and Chinh will hold a bilateral meeting at the Peace Palace, focusing on the expansion of bilateral cooperation as well as regional and international issues of common concern. Following the meeting, the two leaders will witness the signing of a number of bilateral cooperative documents.
“[Chinh’s] visit coincides with the celebration of the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which is designated as the “Year of Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship”, the ministry said.
Separately, Trudeau announced on November 2 that he will attend the summit in Phnom Penh on November 12-13, according to his Cabinet.
Trudeau will address regional and global challenges with his ASEAN and Indo-Pacific counterparts during the summit.
He will attend the ASEAN-Canada Anniversary Summit to mark the 45th anniversary of ASEAN-Canada Dialogue. At the summit under the theme “ASEAN ACT: Addressing Challenges Together”, Trudeau will promote peace and stability in through trade, based on economic growth that benefits all people and strong people-to-people ties.
He said the Indo-Pacific region is a growing hub for trade and investment that promotes open markets, job creation and economic growth.
During the summit, Trudeau will highlight Canada’s strong partnership in helping to grow the global economy for the benefit of the people of both sides of the Pacific.
“As the world works together on common challenges, we will improve the lives of the people. I look forward to meeting with world leaders, including my counterparts from the Indo-Pacific region, to continue to create jobs and promote economic growth that benefits everyone,” he said.
Yang Peou, secretary-general of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said Cambodia’s role in the ASEAN region is becoming more important, and the participation of countries such as Canada in the ASEAN Summit shows that the region is increasingly valued for its involvement in addressing key regional and global issues.
“It shows that the modern-day ASEAN is not like ASEAN of the Cold War era, which was just a regional organisation for the division of political ideology. It is now a full-fledged organisation with its own constitution. More importantly, it is ready to take part in solving the world’s most contentious issues,” he said.
