Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sok Chenda Sophea reaffirmed Cambodia’s commitment to effectively implement the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 to strengthen the bond among members of the bloc.
Chenda Sophea, also deputy prime minister, made the statement at the 57th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Vientiane, Laos on July 25.
“The deputy prime minister reaffirmed the commitment to fully and effectively implement the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 with a view to strengthening ASEAN centrality and unity by intensifying cooperation across the three community pillars,” the ministry said in a July 26 press release.
The ministers discussed ASEAN community-building efforts and the progress in achieving the bloc’s priorities and key deliverables for 2024 in line with Laos’ chairmanship theme “ASEAN: Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience” to ensure that the bloc remains future-proof, future-ready and continues to serve as a centre of global growth.
The deputy prime minister commended the high-level task force on the bloc’s post-2025 vision for progress and momentum in developing the ASEAN Political-Security, Economic, Socio-Cultural and Connectivity Community Strategic Plans in time for their adoption alongside the start of the bloc’s community vision for 2045 next year.
Cambodian Centre for Regional Studies (CCRS) researcher Ek Bunly said the country’s reaffirmation is meant to support and advance the plan, which was adopted in 2015 in Malaysia.
He added that it urges members of the bloc to strengthen political, security and economic cooperation, and promote social and cultural exchanges among all ASEAN members, including Cambodia.
“In the future, I think the cooperation among ASEAN members will be more advanced, especially in terms of economic cooperation.
“However, the difficult question for ASEAN is when 2025 passes, what will the ASEAN Community Vision 2015-2025 teach ASEAN, which can be a lesson for the development of the [plan] after 2025?
“The more difficult question for ASEAN is … in which sectors in the 2015-2025 vision did ASEAN fail to achieve? And why?
“When ASEAN members are honest in analysing and answering these questions, I think the post-2025 vision is definitely going to improve,” he said.
Bunly noted that the ASEAN community is still not perfect, however, if bloc members are committed, [these questions] will not only be rhetorical. He believes that the bloc will become a central powerhouse in the Indo-Pacific region.
During the meeting, Chenda Sophea reaffirmed the importance of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) in promoting friendly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation.
He also welcomed continued interest by non-regional countries to accede to the treaty and looked forward to TAC accession by Finland, Luxembourg, Spain, Mexico and Algeria.
The meeting also welcomed the successful convening of the conference of the High Contracting Parties to the TAC on June 26 at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia.
During the retreat, the ministers discussed the follow-up to the ASEAN Leaders’ Review and Decision on the Implementation of the Five-Point Consensus.
They exchanged views on the bloc’s external relations and its centrality in the evolving regional architecture, as well as regional and international issues of common concern and interest.
The ASEAN ministers also touched upon areas of cooperation, including green transition, blue economy, climate change, energy and food security, digital transformation and supply chain resilience, among others.