Us Secretary of State Hillary rodham Clinton was to leave for Europe Asia and the Middle East Thursday including a four-day visit to Cambodia the state department said.
A statement said Clinton would visit Vietnam and Laos before arriving in Phnom Penh next Wednesday for events related to the annual meeting of asean foreign ministers.
Clinton is scheduled to take part in the asean regional forum the east Asia foreign minister meeting and the Us-asean post-ministerial conference she will also co-chair a meeting of ministers involved in the lower Mekong initiative and chair a separate ministerial meeting of "friends of the lower Mekong " the statement said.
After bilateral meeting with senior Cambodia officials Clinton will lead the largest-ever delegation of us business leaders to Cambodia to a us-asean business forum in Siem read the theme of the forum is "commitment to connectivity" the statement said in siem reap Clinton will also deliver the keynote address at a lower Mekong initiative dialogue on gender equality and women's empowerment before leaving Vietnam and Laos .
Before arriving in Cambodia Clinton is scheduled to travel to France Japan Mongolia Vietnam and Laos .
In Hanoi next Tuesday she will meet with senior Vietnamese leaders and witness the singing of several agreement covering education exchanges and commercial contracts the secretary will also meet with us and Vietnamese business leaders the statement said.
On Wednesday she makes what state department describe as a "groundbreaking visit to Laos " the first by a us Secretary of State in 57 years while in Vientiane she will meet prime minister thongsing thamavong and other senior government officials to discuss a "variety of bilateral and regional issues including the lower Mekong initiative and asean integration efforts