Cambodia: No country considered safe if others are not
Cambodia: No country considered safe if others are not
“No country can be considered safe if other countries are not. The vaccine is the only solution for global normalisation,” stressed Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn.
The Deputy Prime Minister made the remark while holding talks via videoconference on Mar. 16 with Ms. Louise Mushikiwabo, Secretary-General of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF).
According to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MFA-IC) AKP received this morning, during the meeting, Sokhonn informed the OIF secretary-general that Cambodia has registered so far only one COVID-19 related death. The first doses of vaccines, obtained within the COVAX framework and from the donation of the Chinese government, allowed the first vaccinations of the population, and more vaccines are expected to arrive in Cambodia in a few weeks.
For her part, Ms. Mushikiwabo highly valued Cambodia’s effective management of the pandemic. She recalled the resolution adopted unanimously by the OIF’s members in November 2020, aimed at obtaining international solidarity and equitable sharing of vaccines, within the framework of COVAX and with the European Union.
The OIF secretary-general informed Sokhonn of her wish to visit Cambodia before the end of April 2021, alongside French-speaking dignitaries from around the world, in order to advocate for universal and equitable vaccination coverage under the aegis of the COVAX mechanism co-led by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The Cambodian top diplomat voiced his full support to this proposal, underlining, “OIF must mark its presence in the Asia-Pacific region where Cambodia actively promotes the use of French language and the values of the Francophonie. This multilateral vaccination campaign will find a favourable echo in the 13th ASEM Summit organised by Cambodia at the end of 2021 and whose theme will be Strengthening Multilateralism for Shared Growth.” AKP
