King Norodom Sihamoni to Go to France for the Francophonie Summit as Cambodia Bids to Host the Event in Two Years

This photo shows King Norodom Sihamoni waveing during Independence Day celebration in 2023. Photo: Sem Vanna

PHNOM PENH — King Norodom Sihamoni will attend the Sommet de la Francophonie (Francophonie Summit) in France in October as Cambodia is hoping to host the event in 2026.

In a message dated Sept. 27, King Sihamoni said that he will be in France from Oct.1 through 6. Senate President Hun Sen will serve as Acting Head of State during his absence, he said.

The 19th Francophonie Summit is set to be held on Oct. 4 and 5 with around 100 delegates from the 90 member states of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (francophonie international organization) meeting in Villers-Cotterêts and Paris.

Cambodia has announced its candidacy to host the 20th summit in 2026 and it is believed that the country’s chances to win the bid are quite high. During an interview earlier this year, French Ambassador Jacques Pellet said that Cambodia had received strong support from France’s President Emmanuel Macron for its bid to host the summit. 

If Cambodia wins, the country will be the only Asian country to have hosted the summit since Vietnam in 1997.

Cambodia’s major figures have made several visits to France since 2022 including former Prime Minister Hun Sen in December 2022, King Norodom Sihamoni in November 2023, Prime Minister Hun Manet in January 2024, and Khuon Sudary, president of the National Assembly, in March 2024.

The Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie was founded on March 20, 1970. The late King Norodom Sihanouk was one of the founding members of the organization.

Currently the organization consists of 88 member states and governments. Among them, 54 countries are full members, 7 are associate members, and 27 are observers. Cambodia became a full member in 1993 after two years as an observer.

French language was once widely used by Cambodians in the country, particularly in the 1950s and 1960s when most newspapers and magazines published for the general public—often through the Cambodian authorities—were in French and the language was spoken on the street.  

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