Cambodia will host the 7^th GMS Summit Leaders’ Meeting and Retreat this month to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic and the situation in Myanmar, according to the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) secretariat.

Heads of delegations of GMS countries in the 6th GMS Summit in Vietnam on March 31, 2018. (Photo: VNA)

This summit will be held via videoconference on March 25.

The GMS secretariat hasn’t disclosed the details of the programme yet, but some leaders of the GMS nations have already voiced their support for Cambodia hosting the upcoming regional summit, Khmer Times reported.

At the virtual meeting held on March 11, Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc reaffirmed their commitment to extend their full support to Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen in hosting the 7^th GMS summit.

This is an important summit as the region is facing some challenges, Kin Phea, director-general of the International Relations Institute of Cambodia at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, told Khmer Times.

According to Phea, leaders of GMS nations, including Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam will use this summit to find solutions to settle the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts in the region.

At the same time, he added, leaders of GMS nations may also discuss the current situation in Myanmar. GMS nations are interested in talking about it as the situation there is difficult to predict, but the solution may not different from ASEAN’s, he added.

Besides the 7th GMS summit, Cambodia will also host the 13th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM 13) at the end of this year and will also host the ASEAN summit next year.

Source: VNA