By:
• Hai Sohem

• October 18, 2024 , 5:15 PM

PHNOM PENH — Former foreign minister Prak Sokhonn has warned against geopolitical risks, emphasizing the need to adhere closely to multilateralism and a regional strategy to address the region's challenges.

Speaking on the theme of “Towards Free and Open Indo-Pacific: Prospect and Challenges” in a seminar organized by the Cambodian Center for Regional Studies, Sokhonn raised critical issues in the Indo-Pacific including geopolitical rivalries since the end of the Cold War. 

These had created volatile, uncertain, complex and challenging times.

“The fact that rising geopolitical and geostrategic rivalry far exceeds political security is worrying”, Sokhonn said. 

The ex-minister, who is now the first vice-president of the Senate, went on to note that the world has undergone a fundamental transformation.

Great power rivalries, the shifting balance of power, complex security recalibration, the decline of multilateralism, tragic wars, and technological revolutions had contributed to the transformation. 

This evolution increasingly affected technology, supply chains, finance and raw materials. 

On the other hand, Sokhonn noted that the world witnessed the rise of “minilateralism” and blocs of like-minded countries such as QUAD and AUKUS.

“In the meantime, the increase of bilateral or trilateral alliances and the rise of regional dialogue partners of regional organizations such as ASEAN indicated the Indo-Pacific region as the ‘centre of interest’ to countries from distant regions and continents,” he said. 

This is why, according to Sokhonn, the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) are beneficial initiatives that support a rule-based order, peace, stability and cooperation while minizing any act that could drive conflict and confrontation.

Japan created FOIP in 2016 as a multilateral strategy to promote cooperation among Indo-Pacific countries, including economic trade, security, and political ties. 

Likewise, AOIP, generated in 2019 by ASEAN, gears up the standard of ASEAN’s engagement principles to strengthen its centrality and expand the installation of healthy cooperation among countries inside and outside the Indo-Pacific region. 

Sokhonn spoke of the Cambodian government's unwavering support for these multilateral strategies, as they are vital to maintaining political and social stability, given the country's experience of civil wars and genocide during its dark age.  

He said the country has adopted three major positions to "deal with Indo-Pacific strategies".

These were support for peace-oriented strategic initiatives, globalisation and multilateralism strategic initiatives, and any strategic initiatives that respect ASEAN’s centrality and AOIP’s principles.