President of the Cambodian Senate, Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, has called on parliamentarians from around the world to strengthen parliamentary diplomacy, build mutual trust and work together to prevent geopolitical tensions from escalating into wider regional conflicts.
Addressing the opening ceremony of the 2nd Inter-Parliamentary Speakers’ Conference (ISC-2) in Phnom Penh on Thursday, Samdech Techo Hun Sen, also Chairman of ISC-2, said the gathering should not be viewed merely as an occasion for exchanging words of comfort or offering hope, but as an important platform for elected representatives to fulfill their responsibilities as lawmakers and protectors of their nations and peoples.
Samdech Techo Hun Sen urged parliamentarians to examine the rapidly changing global situation with clear vision and a realistic approach as the world faces an increasingly complex and uncertain geopolitical environment.
“We must prepare for the worst while striving for the best,” he said, emphasising that such an approach is necessary in confronting the realities of a turbulent international order and increasingly complicated geopolitical challenges.
Samdech Techo Hun Sen said the current global situation requires a reassessment of the true role of political power and parliamentary diplomacy, stressing that the legislative and executive bodies should complement each other in addressing and emerging challenges and preventing crises.
According to Samdech Techo Hun Sen, parliaments have an important role to play in helping governments anticipate crises and prepare appropriate responses before conflicts become uncontrollable.
Samdech Techo Hun Sen also highlighted the potential of parliamentary diplomacy to serve as an early-warning mechanism, allowing countries to communicate with and alert one another while coordinating international mechanisms to build barriers against crises.
Such cooperation, Samdech Techo Hun Sen said, could help prevent sparks of conflict from spreading and developing into full-scale wars across entire regions.
Samdech Techo Hun Sen further underlined that one of the fundamental responsibilities of legislative institutions is to strengthen mutual trust among countries.
Samdech Techo Hun Sen stressed that deep mutual trust is essential for countries to alert one another when conflicts approach their borders and to respond collectively to threats to regional peace and stability.
“The spark of war in one country is no longer an isolated matter for another country,” he said, underscoring the growing interconnectedness of global security.
In this context, Samdech Techo Hun Sen called on legislative institutions to have the courage to speak out against dangerous ambitions and to establish structured fronts of cooperation aimed at preventing destabilising forces from spreading throughout regions.
Samdech Techo Hun Sen also urged parliamentarians to maintain regular communication and coordination and to allow parliamentary diplomacy to play a stronger role in safeguarding and reinforcing multilateralism.
Samdech Techo Hun Sen drew attention to what he described as three forms of war confronting countries in the contemporary international environment: war aimed at weakening military strength, war aimed at undermining economic strength, and war aimed at damaging national reputation.
His remarks came as parliamentarians and parliamentary leaders gathered in Phnom Penh from Aug. 26 to 28 for ISC-2, providing a platform for dialogue on major international challenges and the role of parliaments in promoting peace, stability, cooperation and multilateralism.
