13th Asia-Europe Meeting delayed to late 2021

At the ASEM Senior Officials Meeting Retreat via videoconference on March 1-2 (Photo: mfaic.gov.kh)

Phnom Penh (VNA) - Cambodia has again delayed the 13th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) to the fourth quarter of this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement released after the ASEM Senior Officials Meeting Retreat via videoconference on March 1-2, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said that the biennial summit will be postponed to later this year.

The postponement is to ensure not only the safety of ASEM leaders attending the summit but also their meaningful interactions  as well as frank and constructive exchange of views on regional and global issues of common interest that can only be done in a physical setting, according to the statement.

The summit, initially scheduled to be held in Phnom Penh on November 16 and 17, 2020, was previously postponed to June this year due to the pandemic./.

VNA