20th Francophonie Summit Opens in Phnom Penh: Hun Manet Proposes a Francophone Prevention and Mediation Network

The 20th Summit of La Francophonie opened in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on November 15, with King Norodom Sihamoni presiding over the opening ceremony and French President Emmanuel Macron among the leaders and representatives attending. The two-day summit, held under the theme 'Reinvest in Peace for Shared Prosperity and Lasting Stability,' has drawn confirmations from 81 states and governments. The International Organisation of La Francophonie has 90 members — 53 full members, five associate members and 32 observers. It is Cambodia's first time hosting the summit, and only the second time in nearly 30 years that it has been held in the Asia-Pacific region, after Hanoi in 1997.

In his welcome address, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet proposed a Francophone prevention and mediation network that would bring together diplomats, experts and institutions to support dialogue, at a member state's request, before violence flares up. He also restated Cambodia's position on its border with Thailand and asked for the joint land boundary survey and demarcation with Thailand to resume.

The Francophonie ministerial conference on November 14 finalised three documents for the leaders to consider and adopt on November 16: the Phnom Penh Declaration, a resolution on crisis situations and conflict prevention, and the Appel de Phnom Penh on cultural heritage.

Related: Macron Arrives in Phnom Penh on a State Visit to Cambodia

(Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse)

Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse

Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 图：金边天际线资料图。照片：Mao Piseth 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: File photo of the Phnom Penh skyline. Photo by Mao Piseth, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.