PM to Talk Environment, Energy, Economy, Defense During France’s Visit
Prime Minister Hun Manet will hold talks on the environment, the energy sector, the economy, and national defense with French President Emmanuel Macron next week.
- By Meng Seavmey
- January 9, 2024 11:55 AM
PHNOM PENH – Prime Minister Hun Manet will hold talks on the environment, the energy sector, the economy, and national defense with French President Emmanuel Macron next week.
These discussions will take place in Paris during Hun Manet’s official visit to France scheduled for Jan. 18 and 19, at the French president's invitation. They aim to deepen the bilateral relationship between the two countries.
It will be the prime minister’s first visit to France since he was appointed in August 2023.
These upcoming talks come in a series of recent Cambodian high-ranking officials’ visits to Paris. Less than a year after former Prime Minister Hun Sen met with the French president in December 2022 – on the sidelines of an ASEAN-EU summit – King Norodom Sihamoni was also welcomed at the Elysée Palace on Nov. 13, 2023.
The meeting was a “significant step towards a stronger partnership between our two nations”, Hun Manet said in a letter addressed to Macron on Jan. 8.
The King’s visit was held during the 4th Intergovernmental Conference for the Safeguarding and Development of Angkor on Nov. 15, 2023, when the French government promised to expand Phnom Penh’s National Museum and restore several Khmer artifacts for an exhibition in France.
During next week’s visit, Hun Manet said he will hold talks on the economy, sustainable development strategies, and cooperation on national defense, which are the milestones of the Cambodia-France relationship.
Manet plans to further promote heritage and Francophonie, aligned with Macron’s encouragement for Cambodia to host the Francophonie Summit in 2026, an idea already supported by King Sihamoni.
The prime minister said that the discussion will contribute to deepening mutual understanding, and lead to common initiatives to benefit both countries.
“My visit aims to further strengthen the cooperation on important sectors, mainly on environmental challenges, energy transition issues, and climate change as well as promoting peace,” Hun Manet’s letter read.
“Cambodia is committed to continue participating in this effort by recognizing these benefits of our partnership for our people and international associations,” it added.
While Cambodia is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 42 percent by 2030, and reaching net zero in 2050, it abandoned a coal-fired power plant project in Koh Kong province to encourage building a natural gas power plant instead.
The Environment Ministry is also implementing the “Today, I don’t use plastic” campaign and plans to plant at least a million trees every year to expand forest cover by 60 percent by 2050.
