Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen and US President Joe Biden (Photo: Khmertimeskh.com)
“As the ASEAN Chair for 2022, I wish to reiterate Cambodia’s strong commitment and full support for the US to convene the ASEAN-US Special Summit in Washington D.C. I am confident that the Summit will provide a good opportunity for us to exchange views on how to further advance the ASEAN-US cooperation,” wrote the Cambodian leader in response to the letter of US President Joe Biden.
Hun Sen thanked the US President for his intention to invite him and ASEAN leaders to attend the summit in the coming months and his desire to further strengthen the relations between ASEAN and the US under Cambodia’s Chairmanship of ASEAN.
In his letter, Biden said under Cambodia’s ASEAN chairmanship, the US “hopes to both grow our relationship with ASEAN and continue to pursue our common goals in the region.”
“The United States is committed to ASEAN centrality and remains steadfast in its support for an ASEAN-centered regional architecture at the heart of the Indo-Pacific. I expect you have already received from Indonesia, in its capacity as country coordinator for the United States in ASEAN, the enclosed correspondence conveying my intent to invite ASEAN leaders to join me in Washington for a special summit in the coming months. I wanted to reach out to you personally as well to underscore that I look forward to welcoming you to Washington at the earliest opportunity,” he underlined./.
VNA