• Politics

Prak Sokhonn Reflects on Seven Years of Successes

• By Meng Seavmey
• August 24, 2023 5:25 PM

PHNOM PENH – Prak Sokhonn, the foreign minister since 2016, says he has succeeded in his diplomatic missions and believes his successor Sok Chenda Sophea will provide leadership to boost economic diplomacy.

Sokhonn, 69, spoke at the handover ceremony with the new minister, leaders and other officials at the Foreign Ministry on Aug. 23 after 44 years of working for the government.

“Certainly, there were many necessary reforms,” he said of his tenure. Three had been priorities, including material resources, team spirit and professionalism.

During the professionalism reform, the ministry established the National Institute of Diplomacy and International Relations, which was the ministry’s first institute to enhance the knowledge, professionalism and ethics of the diplomats as well as officials from other ministries.

“There is a meeting for information sharing and situation analysis, which is held twice a week; an analysis of the Information, Research, and Analysis Group, along with the Asian Vision Institute (AVI); the commentary speeches sharing in the Telegram group of leaders and the heads of missions; preparation of comparison matrix; and, determining the ministry’s stand on regional and global hot issues,” he said.

The ministry had conducted five major tasks to improve and adapt to situations since 2017.

These included protecting national interests, independence, sovereignty, integrity, and prestige; implementing independent foreign policies based on International Law, with flexibility, wisdom, and responsiveness to complicated geopolitical pressure; participating in international associations for peace, stability, humanitarian, and solutions to global issues; implementing economic diplomacy, culture and tourism to boost the economy; and continuing the reforms in the ministry to organize professional, active, and capable diplomats who are nationalists.

“We have enhanced and increased diplomatic activities in other countries by re-opening and establishing more embassies, repaired our friendship with old friends, extended the relations with new friends by establishing a consultation mechanism and bilateral policy, paying official visits and participating in international summits,” Sokhonn said.

He said Cambodia had succeeded in playing its role and participation within regional and international frameworks, which had been recognized.

Besides, the success of Cambodia hosting the 13th ASEM and the ASEAN 2022 chairmanship also showed the country’s firm stand based on international law in regional and international issues.

With his trust in economic diplomacy, Sokhonn believes that the new foreign minister is capable and experienced with economy and investment sectors, which will raise the country’s economic diplomacy strategy to a higher level.

Sokhonn raised four points of the Economic Diplomacy Strategy, 2021–2023 (EDS), which had been effective since January in 2021. These included boosting international trade, attracting foreign direct investments, promoting tourism and encouraging culture and sports exchanges.

Cambodia’s ‘The Taste of Angkor’, a cookbook edited by the ministry, won three major awards, including the Best Asian Cuisine Book twice (2021 and 2022), and the Heads of State/Food in 2022 from the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.

“If these achievements are the measurement on our diplomatic mission accomplishment, I’d say I have done it successfully. Moreover, I must say that we all have succeeded in these missions because they resulted from our efforts for the country,” he said.