Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation H.E. Prak Sokhonn emphasised on the merit of adopting a “first-come-first-served” approach for the signing of the Protocol to the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty without reservations to encourage other Nuclear Weapon States (NWS) to follow suit.
In his remarks at the Meeting of the SEANWFZ Commission held in Jakarta, Indonesia yesterday, H.E. Prak Sokhonn also reaffirmed Cambodia’s support for China to sign the Protocol first and, as proposed by Chair, this could be arranged back-to-back with the 43rd ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in September this year.
The Meeting of the SEANWFZ Commission reiterated the commitment to preserving Southeast Asian region as a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone and free of all other weapons of mass destruction as enshrined in the ASEAN Charter and the SEANWFZ Treaty, and stressed on the importance of the full and effective implementation of the Treaty and its Plan of Action (2023-2027), pointed out a press release of the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
The Meeting adopted the Concept Note on the Possible Joint Initiative of the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL) and ASEAN in 2023 which aims to promote cooperation through the sharing of lessons learnt and best practices between the two Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones, the source added.
On the same day, the press release continued, the Cambodian diplomat also attended the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Interface Meeting with ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights Representatives (AICHR), during which shared his views that, due to ASEAN’s rich cultural and political diversity, each ASEAN Member State adopts a different approach to human rights to advance their societal agenda based on their respective national context.
H.E. Prak Sokhonn suggested that the AICHR should consider publishing an annual status report, which compiles activities and programmes that each Member State has done to promote human rights in their respective countries.
On the sidelines of the meetings, H.E. Prak Sokhonn took the opportunity to engage in bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Timor-Leste H.E. Bendito dos Santos Freitas, and Brunei Darussalam H.E. Dato Erywan Pehin Yusof, to further strengthen bilateral relations and exchanged views on matters of common interest and concern.
