Prime Minister Hun Manet on August 24 convened the first meeting of the Council of Ministers, two days after assuming the top office, with the official launch of the government’s Pentagon Strategy Phase I high on the agenda.

The new Cabinet’s three other main agendas were a draft law concerning the status of the Ministry of National Assembly-Senate Relations and Inspection, which would see its name changed to Ministry of Inspection; a draft law on the establishment of the Secretariat of Border Affairs; and the general functioning of the 7th-mandate government.

In a live broadcast, Manet announced that the Pentagon Strategy revolves around five main areas: Economic growth, job creation, equity, efficiency and sustainability.

He said the strategy serves as a roadmap to achieving the Kingdom’s vision of becoming a high middle-income country by 2030 and a high-income one by 2050.

Amid the live broadcast, former Prime Minister Hun Sen took to his official Telegram channel to express his confidence in the new government, while noting that it was the first time in four decades that he had not chaired a Cabinet meeting.

“I am watching live broadcast … Looking at the composition of the new Cabinet who are young intellectuals, I determine that the transfer of senior leadership to young leadership is the right decision,” he said.