Cambodian PM to attend ASEAN summit in Laos next week

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet will take part in the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Vientiane, Laos from Oct. 8 to 11, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a news release on Saturday.
The forthcoming attendance will be made at the invitation of Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, the news release said, adding that the summits will be held under the theme “ASEAN: Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience.”
The summits “will focus on further advancing ASEAN Community building towards the realization of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and enhancing relations with ASEAN’s external partners through ASEAN-led mechanisms with an aim to strengthen connectivity and resilience in the region and beyond as well as to address present and emerging challenges effectively”, the news release said.
On the sidelines of the summits, Hun Manet will attend the ASEAN Leaders’ Interface with Representatives of ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), ASEAN Leaders’ Interface with Representatives of ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC), ASEAN Leaders Interface with Representatives of ASEAN Youth; and the second Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) Leaders’ Meeting.
The Cambodian prime minister is also expected to hold bilateral talks with some ASEAN and world leaders to enhance bilateral relations, according to the news release.
ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. ■