PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Hun Manet departed for the US this morning to attend the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

At around 8:20 a.m., the PM’s plane departed with an official delegation including Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sok Chenda Sophea, and Minister Attached to the Prime Minister, Jean-Francois Tain, a former media mogul. The delegation is expected to meet with senior US officials, businesspeople and his supporters from the Cambodian diaspora who live in the US and Canada.

The PM is expected to make a speech on Cambodia’s progress towards Sustainable Development Goals and on the Kingdom’s commitment to maintaining peace and stability.

According to the spokesperson for the Prime Minister, Meas Sophorn, in addition to addressing the General Assembly, the PM will also meet with UN Secretary-General, the US Minister of Foreign Affairs, and officials from a number of other countries, including his Indian counterpart.

Having only been in office for a month, this is a big opportunity for the new prime minister to cement his international approval after the US released a statement following Cambodia’s July elections, saying it would impose visa restrictions on those who undermine democracy. It appears Prime Minister Hun Manet and his delegation are in the clear regarding such restrictions as they head to New York to attend one of the world’s most respected institutional gatherings.