Quoting Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Luy David, the newspaper reported that Prime Minister Hun Sen has already confirmed the participation of 14 of the 52 leaders of ASEM member countries.

David said debates will focus on the economic-commercial and cooperation relations between Asia and Europe amid the Covid-19 pandemic and joint actions to foster economic recovery once this epidemiological situation is overcome.

Originally slated for November 2020, ASEM’13 was postponed twice for this reason. Its slogan, Strengthening Multilateralism for Shared Growth, reflects the interest to turn this summit into one of the cornerstones of global governance.

The 11th Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership Meeting, the ASEM’2020 Cultural Festival and the 17th Asia-Europe Business Forum will take place at the same time.

Created in 1996, ASEM is made up of 53 member States from Asia and Europe, and the Secretariat of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the European Union (EU).

Its current members make up about 60 percent of global GDP, the planet’s population and world trade.

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