The United Kingdom has become the 11th Dialogue Partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
On Aug. 5 afternoon, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation H.E. Prak Sokhonn joined the Ceremony on the Conferment of ASEAN Dialogue Partnership Status to the United Kingdom, via videoconference along with other ASEAN Foreign Ministers and British Foreign Secretary H.E. Dominic Raab.
The partnership, which is the first ASEAN has agreed in 25 years, will lead to closer cooperation between the UK and the region on a range of issues such as trade, investment, climate change, the environment, science and technology, and education.
According to a news release of the UK Embassy in Cambodia, in the virtual ceremony, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers welcomed the UK as an ASEAN ‘Dialogue Partner’. Since the UK submitted its application to become a Dialogue Partner in June 2020, the Foreign Secretary has attended two UK-ASEAN Ministerial Meetings and hosted the ASEAN Chair at the G7 Foreign & Development Ministers meeting in May.
ASEAN is an influential group of ten member countries in the Indo-Pacific. By becoming a Dialogue Partner the UK will formalise its relations with the group – including through attending annual Foreign and Economic Ministers meetings along with other Ministerial engagements.
Dialogue Partner status puts the UK at the heart of the Indo-Pacific. The UK will work with ASEAN and its members on key shared challenges such as maritime security and transnational crime, boost our economies through trade, and strengthen our cooperation on issues such COVID-19 and climate change.
The other ASEAN Dialogue Partners are Australia, Canada, China, European Union, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia and the United States of America.

Source: Agency Kampuchea Press