Phnom Penh (FN), Mar. 3 – Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen said that 2022 had been the most successful year of Cambodia's diplomacy, speaking at the annual meeting of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on Friday (Mar 3).

During the ceremony, the premier praised the significant efforts and achievements of the leaders and officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2022 and praised the contributions made by relevant institutions to making 2022 a successful year in Cambodia's diplomatic work.

Samdech highlighted that 2022 is a remarkable year for Cambodia's diplomatic battle, a year in which Cambodia takes over the rotating chairmanship of ASEAN, with the biggest, most complex and unprecedented challenges in the history.

Although Cambodia has successfully controlled the COVID19 pandemic and reopened the country, new contexts continue to put serious pressure on public health sector. The geopolitical competition by powerful countries also created more pressure on the region, especially on Cambodia.

In addition, the political, security, economic and humanitarian crisis in Myanmar is a problem for ASEAN, and the burden of finding a solution to this crisis falls on Cambodia as the chair of ASEAN. The situation on the Korean Peninsula continues to deteriorate due to the largest number of missile launched by North Korea.

On that occasion, Samdech said that while the situation in the South China Sea has remained relatively calm, the Taiwan issue has become a hot spot in Sino-US relations, especially after the visit of the speaker of the United States House of Representatives which coincided with the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Phnom Penh.

The Russia-Ukraine war has so far left tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians dead, millions displaced and many of their homes and property destroyed.

"The events that took place in the above areas have really had a direct and indirect effects on Cambodia. We put serious pressure on sovereignty, independence, neutrality and political decisions, both nationally and internationally,” the premier added.

Samdech continued, “by adhering to an independent foreign policy based on the rule of laws and based on the core interests of our nation and our people, we have turned challenges into opportunities and have shown great wills in respecting the laws, objectives and principles of the UN Charter."
=FRESH NEWS