Phnom Penh (FN), Aug. 9 – On 7 August 2024, Indonesia’s Ambassador to Cambodia, Santo Darmosumarto, delivered a public lecture in front of 500 students and lecturers at the National Defense University (NDU) in Phnom Penh. The Ambassador elaborated on the growing bilateral relations, emphasizing on the significance of defence and security cooperation in contributing towards tackling regional challenges.
In his welcoming remarks, the Rector of NDU, Lt. General Dok Sopha, underscored the importance of Southeast Asian countries relying on each other to solve pressing regional issues. He added that regional resilience must be achieved through greater governmental and people-to-people interactions as well as concrete cooperation program at all levels of society.
Ambassador Darmosumarto stressed that developing countries such as Indonesia and Cambodia must assist one another in developing a free and independent foreign policy. "In an increasingly polarized world, developing countries must be perceptive in conducting their foreign policies to prevent being drawn into the vortex of global conflicts," the Ambassador emphasized.
The Ambassador also highlighted several security-related issues that Indonesia, Cambodia and the rest of the region continue to face, such as pandemics, terrorism, drug and human trafficking, cybercrime, environmental degradation, climate change, as well as food and energy scarcity. "No nation can overcome these challenges alone. We must work together to address them”, he noted.
On a lighter note, the Ambassador's update on the economic relations between Indonesia and Cambodia elicited pleasant surprise among the participants. They learned that many of the consumer goods they commonly use are, in fact, Indonesian products. This revelation served to underscore the deepening economic ties between the two countries.
The lecture concluded with an engaging Q&A session, where students demonstrated a keen interest in Indonesia-Cambodia relationship and its potential contributions to the region. Ambassador Darmosumarto expressed his optimism for future cooperation by stating “Indonesia's role in helping Cambodia restore peace during its times of conflict is a testament to our enduring friendship.”
The military-to-military interactions between Indonesia and Cambodia grew during the UNTAC period, with the former sending almost 4.000 UN Peacekeepers to assist with the peace process. Recently, such cooperation has taken the form of technical exchanges and capacity building programs for officers and soldiers.
=FRESH NEWS
