Senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation attended the 7th Indian Ocean Conference in Perth, Australia on February 9. MFAIC
At the recent 7th Indian Ocean Conference, Cambodia welcomed a series of initiatives that it believes will contribute to peace, stability and development in the region.
Prak Nguon Hong, secretary of state at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, addressed the conference. He urged each of the nations in the region to unite and foster closer cooperation.
Themed “Towards a Stable and Sustainable Indian Ocean”, the conference took place on February 9-10 in Perth, Australia, according to a February 12 press release by the ministry.
Nguon Hong underscored Cambodia’s commitment to strengthening ASEAN centrality, as well as multilateral mechanisms that uphold the rule of law and ensure regional inclusivity.
“We support any initiative that contributes to peace and stability and development in the region and urge countries in the region to work together to foster practical cooperation,” he said.
During the conference, Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said the ocean is currently facing many challenges, including threats to navigation, terrorism and stalled international laws for flights and navigation. He believes that deeper cooperation is required to resolve the issues.
He requested that the states in the Indian Ocean region unite to address the challenges through existing mechanisms, as well as fresh initiatives.
He offered several examples, including the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), the Indian Ocean Commission, the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium, the Colombo Security Conclave, the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC) and the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI).
“For the past several decades, we have been open to every form of cooperation. Since 2014, we have taken part in the founding of 36 multilateral framework initiatives regarding the future of the Indian Ocean, maritime security and India Ocean resources,” he added.
Thong Mengdavid, research supervisor at the Asian Vision Institute, said Cambodia’s statement of support for multilateral mechanisms demonstrates its respect for international law and the importance the Kingdom places on maintaining security, stability and prosperity, in the region and the wider world.
He added that maritime security has become a burning issue for the entire world, including Cambodia, noting that piracy was as much a threat to global security as illegal trafficking and cybercrime.
He said that the countries in the region are predominantly focussed on maintaining their respective maritime territories and interests. At the same time, the India’s “Look East” policy aims to expand its influence in Asia, as well its role in maintaining regional security.
He added that as a neutral sovereign state, Cambodia would support any regional or international mechanisms that aim to promote regional and global security integration, while opposing any mechanism which aims to benefit any one nation over another.
Seun Sam, a policy analyst at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, supports Cambodia’s position on the value of ASEAN centrality, adding that it served as an excellent diplomatic message in the face of competition between the superpowers, and made it clear that the Kingdom aims to take the middle path.
He said that while ASEAN remains a priority, he believes it is still possible to support various regional initiatives, like those pertaining to the Indian Ocean, even though the region has less influence on Cambodia.
“India still has many internal affairs to manage. Because of these, it has not yet reached the stage where it can exert real influence on the ASEAN region yet. Because of its enormous population, it consumes a huge amount of its available resources,” he explained.
