Phnom Penh (FN), Nov. 16 – Peace is the greatest prerequisite for the development of nations, regions and the world, Cambodian president of the National Assembly Heng Sarim spoke at the 11th Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership Meeting (ASEP11) held on Tuesday at the National Assembly, Phnom Penh.
“A nation with peace is a nation with development. Peace and development must go hand in hand. A nation cannot achieve long-term stability if there is only peace without development.”
“Despite remarkable peace, stability and progress, recent decades have seen challenges directly affecting the lives and hopes of our peoples. With the devastating impact of the COVID19 pandemic, both regions have faced numerous major challenges. These include security, terrorism, trade and technology competition, climate change, natural resource security, social and gender inequality, and especially changing balances of power that could lead to war,” he added.
“We must not forget that wars can easily and quickly break out and spread rapidly. But wars can never be easily ended, as seen in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, the Tigray Region and elsewhere. As a nation that has experienced war, Cambodia would like to express its deepest condolences to the people of fellow countries who are suffering all kinds of wars and pray for such tragedies to end soon so that people can live in peace and harmony,” he underlined.
“In this regard, our ASEP11 gathering under the theme of “Strengthening Parliamentary Partnership of Peace and Sustainable Development in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond” is important and relevant in the current context. The meeting not only provides an opportunity to strengthen relations and cooperation, and enhance mutual understanding. It also serves as a platform to discuss possible solutions to common challenges to promote peace, stability, prosperity and sustainable development, common aspirations of our peoples and across the globe. This gathering is also a celebration of the hope of reopening our economies and learning to live in the new normal,” he added.
“In this regard, Parliaments need to continue promoting the culture of dialogue and values of peace in resolving such issues through key parliamentary diplomacy mechanisms including preventive diplomacy. To ensure long-term peace, we should promote shared prosperity, social justice, good governance, human rights and the values of democracy.”
=FRESH NEWS
