Foreign minister Sok Chenda Sophea attends a meeting of the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) commission in Vientiane, Laos on July 24. Foreign ministry
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sok Chenda Sophea has called for increased efforts to work with nuclear weapon states (NWS) to encourage the signing of the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty Protocol. The treaty aims to ensure Southeast Asia remains free of nuclear weapons.
Chenda Sophea made the statement during a July 24 meeting of the SEANWFZ commission, on the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting, currently underway in Vientiane, Laos.
“During the meeting, the minister underscored the need to redouble efforts to work with NWS to enable the signing of the SEANWFZ Treaty Protocol, and welcomed any NWS who wishes to sign the protocol without reservations to do so on a first-come-first-serve basis,” said the foreign ministry, in a July 24 press release.
The meeting participants reaffirmed their commitment to preserve Southeast Asia as a region free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction, as stipulated in the ASEAN Charter and the SEANWFZ Treaty.
They emphasised the importance of full and effective implementation of the SEANWFZ Treaty through its plan of action from 2023-2027.
“The meeting commended the collective efforts of the ASEAN countries in having the biennial resolution on the SEANWFZ Treaty adopted at the UN General Assembly in 2023 as it affirms the importance of the treaty in contributing to international peace and security,” it said.
They also reiterated their support for Timor-Leste to accede to the SEANWFZ Treaty and looked forwards to its accession in the near future.
Cambodian Centre for Regional Studies (CCRS) researcher Ek Bunly noted that Chenda Sophea’s call coincided with the current rise of geopolitical tensions between the current NWS and non-nuclear weapon states (NNWS), whether in Northeast Asia, the Middle East or Europe, such as in Ukraine.
He said that nuclear blackmail and nuclear threats are becoming an increasingly popular psychological tactic employed by the NWS to pursue their national interests, especially when against NNWS.
Bunly said the minister’s statement revealed three important implications. One, it acts as a reminder to NWS that Southeast Asia is a region that favours the absence of nuclear weapons, and any initiative from the NWS to change that will not be welcomed.
“Secondly, it acts as a reminder that in an era where nuclear blackmail and threats are becoming an increasingly important tactic for NWS, Southeast Asia must swiftly come up with a common approach on a multilateral scale on how to prevent the NWS from employing such threats, especially when dealing with Southeast Asian countries,” Bunly told The Post on July 25.
He explained that third, if his call were to become a reality, it could act as a test to see which NWS are committed to Southeast Asia enough that they are willing to cooperate with such a protocol.
“If this protocol were to be actualised, I couldn’t wait to see which NWS would be the first to sign up for it. Whether the minister’s advocacy will lead to it becoming a reality or not is too soon to tell,” he said.
“With current geopolitical challenges, some of which are at Southeast Asia’s doorstep, such a move would preemptively deter the region from being ingested with Weapon of Mass Destruction from the NWS," he added.
