Positive outlook for the Asean Summit

According to Sok Siphana, senior advisor to the government and chairman of Asian Vision Institute, the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits, which will be held next month, would be a major turning point for the Kingdom as the 2022 Chair.

The post-Covid 19 recovery, the US-China rivalry, the political crisis in Myanmar, the long-standing issues surrounding the South China Sea and the Taiwan strait, the Russian-Ukraine war, and other issues such as existential climate change would be main agenda items and topics for discussion during the summit, he said virtually at Cambodia’s ASEAN Chairmanship 2022: Preparation and Ways Forward for the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits seminar.

“If we look at the last Asean Foreign Minister Meeting (AMM) and Asean Economic Ministers Meeting (AEM), I am very confident that Cambodia will be able to successfully host the summit in November,” he said.

Since Cambodia’s admission to Asean in 1999, Asean has been the cornerstone of Cambodia’s foreign policy, and this platform has been established to fulfil national goals, including the promotion of peace and the reinforcement of political stability, he said.

Sophana stated that Cambodia has been a constructive supporter of the Asean community building process since 1999, and that as chair this year, Cambodia has successfully addressed several challenges.

The AMM in August had 38 delegations, a record since the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak. The sessions resulted in numerous positive and major accomplishments for the bloc.

The AEM also achieved significant progress in trade and FDI growth last month. These are impressive for both intra-Asean and development partners, he said.

From November 8 to 13, Cambodia will host the 40th and 41st Asean Summits and Related Summits. Several meetings will take place at that time, including the 25th Asean-Chia Summit, the 23rd Asean-Republic of Korea Summit, the 19th Asean-India Summit, the 2nd Asean-Australia Summit, the 25th Asean-Japan Summit, the 10th Asean-US Summit, and the 17th East Asia Summit.

Source: Khmer Times