Cambodia, host of the 13th Asia-Europe Meeting Summit (ASEM13), has scheduled November 25-26 for the top-level meeting, due to be held in-person unless there are exceptional circumstances.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation confirmed that Prime Minister Hun Sen has greenlit the dates, according to a letter obtained by The Post on May 27, signed by ministry secretary of state and ASEM13 National Secretariat head Luy David.

David told The Post on May 27 that the secretariat working group and the national committee tasked with preparing for ASEM13 have been working to ensure that the meeting runs smoothly.

“The summit was postponed twice, and this time the major meeting will be held in physical format, though it depends on the Covid-19 situation.

“If in the coming days, the situation becomes serious, preventing us from hold it – we have alternative options for organising the meeting,” he said.

The summit was initially set to be held on November 16-17 last year in the capital, but was postponed to May-June this year due to the Covid-19 crisis.

David added that Cambodia became a member of ASEM in 2004 and was “trusted” with hosting the 13th meeting, which is to be attended by leaders from 53 ASEM partners, including 21 Asian countries, 30 European countries, the ASEAN Secretariat and the EU.