The 13th Asia-Europe Meeting(ASEM) Summit opened on Thursday for a two-day run. 

The virtual gathering is being held under the theme “Strengthening Multilateralism for Shared Growth.”

Participating countries will share views on ways to cooperate on global and regional issues, particularly ways to tackle social and economic damage incurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The foreign ministry of Cambodia, which is hosting the summit, said in a statement that the gathering will hold discussions on revitalizing multilateralism for world peace and stability as well as on trade systems and sustainable growth. 

In the opening speech, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen stressed the need to strengthen multilateralism in the post-COVID-19 era as Asia and Europe are closely connected and have significant weight in the world.

South Korea is being represented by Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum. He’s set to attend sessions Friday where he’ll express Seoul’s intent to overcome global challenges, including the pandemic and climate change as well as request cooperation for the Korean Peninsula peace process.