Cambodia Committed to Promoting ASEAN-Russia Dialogue Relations

Cambodia Committed to Promoting ASEAN-Russia Dialogue Relations

Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen reaffirmed Cambodia’s stance on ASEAN-Russia relations, while attending the Roundtable Conference on “The Role of Russia and ASEAN’s Responsible Political Forces in Strengthening the Architecture of Security and Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific” held this afternoon by Videoconference.

“I reiterate Cambodia’s strong commitment to the promotion of the ASEAN-Russia dialogue relations especially when Cambodia will undertake the important role as the Country Coordinator for our dialogue relations starting from August 2021,” he underlined.

“Cambodia pins our hope on the roles of political parties of ASEAN and Russia as we address the challenges together, and make efforts to create a better world for friendship, cooperation, peace and sustainable development”, he added.

Samdech Techo Hun Sen said this year is a special year as we celebrate the 25th Anniversary of ASEAN-Russia dialogue relations. Cambodia is proud of the solid and progressive cooperation between Russia and ASEAN. Indeed, Russia has been an important partner in maintaining peace, security and stability in the region. At the same time, Russia has been ranked the eighth largest trading partner of ASEAN. Positive momentum in the areas of trade and investment has also been demonstrated over the last few years. Moreover, a number of initiatives in the areas of finance, education, Business-to-Business contacts and youth exchange have been implemented and added value to our cooperation on people-to-people connectivity.

With this strong basis of cooperation, Samdech Techo Hun Sen also shared a few thoughts on how ASEAN and Russia political parties could shape the architecture of security and cooperation in the Asia Pacific:

“First and foremost, we need to focus on our most pressing task, that is the fight against COVID-19. We need to take it as a common mission of humanity to save lives from the deadly pandemic, and any forms of political disruptions should be avoided.

Second, in the post-COVID-19 crisis, we have to jointly promote a resilient recovery. I am optimistic that Russia and ASEAN can do a lot more collectively in this regard through enhancing trade, investment, and tourism flows, among others. In this connection, I would like to underline the importance of Russia’s engagement with ASEAN, particularly in supporting the implementation of the five broad strategies of the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework (ACRF).

Third, we need to double down our efforts to promote the UN-Centred International System and an open, fair, stable and predictable regional architecture in the Asia-Pacific based on the principles of mutual respect, mutual understanding, non-interference, and win-win cooperation. To this end, I must reiterate our full adherence to our ASEAN Centrality, which is an indispensable principle in driving multilateral diplomacy in our part of the world.

Fourth, we need to promote practical cooperation on issues that bind us together, instead of those that divide us while acknowledging the need to maintain platforms for open and frank dialogues on our differences. We need to focus on cooperation that promotes building trust and confidence because strategic narratives built on trust are essential to counter the narratives driven by the Cold War mentality. Areas such as peacekeeping operations, cyber security, natural disaster management, and climate change can be a good starting point of such cooperation.

Fifth, on cultural aspect, I wish to extend my full support to the ‘Cultural Marathon’ initiated by the United Russia Party, which is in line with Cambodia’s vision on building ‘Cultural Corridors’ to promote peace, harmony, and shared prosperity.” AKP