Minister of Interior Sar Kheng stated that he regarded the presence of US President Joe Biden at the upcoming ASEAN Summit as an opportunity for Cambodia to enhance relations and increase cooperation with the US.

He made the remarks while meeting with US ambassador to Cambodia W Patrick Murphy on November 4.

Sar Kheng noted that in the coming days, Cambodia’s leadership, civil servants and people will welcome a large number of regional and international leaders who will be attending the summit hosted by Cambodia, including Joe Biden.

“We considered the presence of the president not not only valuable for enhancing Cambodia-ASEAN relations, but also of value and an opportunity to enhance relations and cooperation between the US and Cambodia,” said Sar Kheng, according to an interior ministry press release.

The press release states that Sar Kheng said he hoped that cooperation and the relationship between the two countries would continue to grow.

Murphy congratulated Cambodia on its chairmanship of ASEAN and that he was looking forward to attending the summit, which will be a significant milestone for the Kingdom, in the near future.

The press release said that Murphy also thanked the Cambodian authorities and all relevant institutions for facilitating various requests made by the US contingent for their visit to Cambodia to attend the summit.

Biden is due to visit Cambodia on November 12-13 to attend the annual US-ASEAN Summit and the East Asia Summit in Phnom Penh.