AKP Phnom Penh,
As it will take over the ASEAN chairmanship in 2022, the Kingdom of Cambodia has expressed its commitment to boost unity and solidarity to address complex challenges faced by the bloc.
“Given its Chairmanship theme, Cambodia will appeal to all members of the ASEAN community to unite in addressing the many complex challenges that we face,” said H.E. Prak Sokhonn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation at the celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the Paris Peace Agreement this morning.
Cambodia hopes that, with the solidarity between ASEAN members and the support by external partners, it will be able to enhance and advance the ASEAN Community-building process, strengthen ASEAN centrality, preserve its important role in global trade, investment and supply chain through the timely implementation of the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework (ACRF) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP), among others, he added.
The Cambodian top diplomat mentioned major challenges being confronted by ASEAN, including multi-fold crises caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, tense geopolitical rivalries between major powers, rising tension on the Korean Peninsula, some muscle flexing in the South China Sea, and the political-security crisis in Myanmar. “In this regard, as we commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the Paris Peace Agreements, we hope that the lessons learnt in Cambodia in obtaining peace and national reconciliation could contribute to resolving the crisis in Myanmar, a full member of our own ASEAN family,” he said.
H.E. Prak Sokhonn also laid stress on Cambodia’s endeavour to support the efforts and contribution by the international community in addressing issues related to climate change, terrorism, transnational crimes, and continue to contribute troops to UN peacekeeping missions as a testament to the Kingdom’s commitment to help build and maintain peace, and protect innocent civilians throughout the world.
Besides, the Royal Government of Cambodia will continue to uphold its responsibility toward the citizens by dedicating its efforts to protect their basic and fundamental rights, starting from the right to life and the right to healthcare amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. To put it simply, it is to save the citizens’ lives and creating a conducive environment for them to return to work, for the children and grandchildren to go back to school, and for the businesses to resume as normal. To date, as a result of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, 85.3 percent of the total population is vaccinated, of which 99.7 percent are 18 and over adults, while over 90 percent are children aged from 6 to 17.
“Moreover, the Royal Government has produced and launched a wide range of well thought through policies, strategies, and action plans in pursuit of prosperity for all Cambodians as we aspire to become an upper middle-income and high-income country by 2030 and 2050, respectively,” H.E. Prak Sokhonn said.
Source: Agency Kampuchea Press