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US President Joe Biden with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen: Thank you Colombia
Photo: Alex Brandon/AP
Oops, he did it again.
US President Joe Biden is known for his slips of the tongue, in which he mixes up geography and geopolitics in such a way that his spokesman then has to deal with all kinds of diplomatic clean-up work.
As recently as Wednesday, Biden, who turns 80 on November 20, confused the Ukrainian city of Kherson with the Iraqi city of Fallujah.
Now he confused Cambodia and Colombia, probably also because the sound of the country names in English is more similar than in German: Cambodia and Colombia.
The incident happened at the meeting of the Asean Group, an alliance of Southeast Asian countries.
On Saturday in Phnom Penh, the US President thanked Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen for the fact that "Colombia" is chairing the Asean Group this year - but actually meant Cambodia.
"I want to thank the Prime Minister for having Colombia lead the Asean Alliance..." Biden said at the opening of the talks.
Colombia seems to be preoccupying the US President: as soon as he left the White House for his trip, he told journalists that he was “on his way to Colombia” – but then quickly corrected himself and said: “I mean Cambodia”.
Biden is not the only one in his government force to make such mistakes.
More serious than his faux pas on Saturday was a slip by his deputy in September: During a visit to the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, Vice President Kamala Harris said that the US “has an alliance with the Republic of North Korea.
And it is an alliance that is strong and enduring.”
cbu/dpa
