Cambodian FM to visit US next week

PHNOM PENH - Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, Chair of 2012 ASEAN, will lead a delegation to pay an official visit to the United States of America on June 12, according to a press release from the Foreign Ministry on Friday.

 During the visit, Hor Namhong will have a bilateral talk with the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, said the press release. Also, he will have a separate meeting with Senator Jim Webb, Chairman of the Sub-Committee on East Asia and Pacific Affairs, and Daniel Russel, Special Assistant to the President Barack Obama in charge of East Asian Affairs.

Besides, Hor Namhong will make an address on "Cambodia's development and Cambodia-US relations" at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, it said.  The visit was made at the invitation of Hillary Clinton on May 17. "Your visit would be an important opportunity to identify ways in which we can work together to broaden our bilateral relationship and advance common regional goals during your leadership of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations," she said in the invitation letter.

She added that the visit would also deepen mutual understanding and identify ways to promote regional stability and ensure shared prosperity for US and Cambodia, and the wider Asia Pacific region. .