By:
• Torn Chanritheara

• October 29, 2022 , 1:42 PM

PHNOM PENH – Prime Minister Hun Sen will hold a phone meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky on Nov. 1, the exact time still to be determined.

“Now it’s been confirmed by both sides,” Hun Sen said on Oct. 29. “On Nov. 1, I am going to talk with the Ukrainian president by phone. It’s now a matter of [agreeing on] the time. I let him choose.”
The prime minister added that he had suggested to hold the talk at 3 pm or 4 pm Cambodia time since the time difference between two countries is 4 hours—it would then be 11 am or noon in Ukraine.

Hun Sen made the announcement on Oct. 29 as he was overseeing food and seed distribution to people who have been affected by flood in Kampong Thom Province.

“This year we [Cambodia] are ASEAN Chair and [Zelensky] requests more interaction,” he said. Hun Sen added that the Ukrainian foreign minister may be coming to Phnom Penh in November to sign an accession agreement on the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, as Spain is to do. On Oct. 27, Foreign Affairs Ministry’s Spokesperson Chum Sounry had said  that “the process is on the way, but can’t be confirmed at this stage.”

The 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and Related Summits are to take place from Nov.10 to 13.

Regarding the Ukraine-Russia conflict, Cambodia has maintained its position on the respect of national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and has advocated against the use of force, threat to use force and secession. 

Cambodia was one of 143 countries that voted in favor of a resolution to defend the principles of the U.N. Charter on Oct. 12, condemning the annexation of four Ukrainian regions by Moscow. Cambodia had previously voted twice for the U.N. resolution regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Cambodia has also mentioned being concerned about the global spillover effects of the Russia-Ukraine war, of which inflation has become a major issue for the country.