At the beginning of August Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister visited Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. During his official trip to that fairly small Asian state – it has a population of 17.3 million – he met with other foreign ministers as part of the dialog between the Russian Federation and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and also took part in talks with Hun Sen, the Cambodian Prime Minister.
Mr. Lavrov stated that Russia attaches a great deal of importance to its partnership with Cambodia, and hopes to further develop friendly relations with that country. He added that the Russian and Cambodian peoples’ attitude to each other is entirely positive. He also expressed the hope that the two countries would continue to develop their cooperation in the area of military technology, and on humanitarian and economic projects, and that all issues relating to international security would be resolved jointly by the two countries. He called for a detailed review of all the key events in the history of international relations both in the Asia-Pacific region and in the Eurasian landmass as a whole. The Russian Foreign Minister stressed that his proposal to promote mutually beneficial cooperation was based on the need to preserve stability and not to allow Washington and its allies to further inflame the situation.
In turn, Hun Sen described Russia as a “close friend” of his country and emphasized that the Russian government’s wish to participate in international relations in the Asia-Pacific region was evidence that Russia has sufficient resources to follow its own independent foreign policy.
In 1996 Russia obtained the status of ASEAN Dialogue Partner, and in 2004 Russia acceded to the 1976 Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, the main document regulating relations between ASEAN and its partners. The first summit between Russia and ASEAN took place in Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia, in December 2005.
Trade between Russia and Cambodia is increasing year by year. Russia’s main exports to Cambodia are chemicals, vehicles, technical equipment and raw minerals, while its main imports from Cambodia are textile products and footwear.
Many major Russian companies have expressed an interest in entering the Cambodian market. Russian organizations including the agricultural holding Miratorg have signed agreements with the Cambodian Chamber of Commerce, which helps them find reliable partners. Russia’s relations with the West have cooled, forcing many Russian entrepreneurs to look for new partners, as under the current sanctions against Russia many of their previous areas of trade are now no longer viable. The Cambodia government, aware that many Russian businesses are in a difficult situation, is trying to help them by supporting them in establishing partnerships between members of the business communities in the two countries.
The first business mission by representatives of Russian companies to Phnom Penh, which took place in 2021, served to demonstrate both countries’ interest in continuing to extend and strengthen trading links. According to experts, over the next few years Russian businesses will significantly expand their presence in Cambodia.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a considerable decline in the number of Russians traveling on holiday to Cambodia. However, the situation has been improving since December 2021. According to data provided by Cambodia’s Tourism Ministry, between January and May 2022 approximately 1,000 Russian tourists visited Cambodia, about twice as many as during the equivalent period last year. In 2019, before the epidemic began, about 55,000 Russian tourists visited Cambodia.
In October 2021 Cambodia’s Ministry of Healthcare approved the Russian-developed vaccines CoviVac, Sputnik V and Sputnik Light, all of which have proved to be highly effective, for use in Cambodia. As the number of infections in Cambodia decreased and the pandemic-related restrictions were lifted, more Russian tourists started arriving, and it is expected that their numbers will soon reach 2019 levels.
Talks between Russia and Cambodia are currently under way concerning the establishment of a Center for Nuclear Science and technology in Cambodia. This center will promote awareness and acceptance of nuclear energy in the country and help train high-level specialists in the field of nuclear physics. According to a source in the Russian Embassy in Cambodia, if the Cambodian government then decides to construct a nuclear power station then Russia will be happy to be directly involved in this project.
Russia is also taking great pains to strengthen its relations with ASEAN, which entered a new phase in 2018. 2022 has been named the year of scientific and technological partnership with ASEAN. Russian and Cambodian academic institutions also frequently hold joint conferences. The two countries have also cooperated on international events in the field of education, economics, medicine and energy. Russia is doing all it can to promote its technology and innovations in Cambodia and other ASEAN countries.
The strategic partnership between Russia and ASEAN is playing an increasingly important role in preserving prosperity and security in the Asia-Pacific region by helping to rein in the growth of international tensions.
Increasingly, Russian diplomats are also focusing on developing ASEAN’s relations with the EEU and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, both of which count Russia as a leading member. In 2018 ASEAN signed a Memorandum on Cooperation between the Secretariats of ASEAN and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and a Memorandum on Cooperation between ASEAN and the Eurasian Economic Commission (EAC), and also confirmed the partnership between ASEAN and the EAC for the period up to 2025. Taken together, these documents form the main legal base governing Russia’s foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific region.
It can be confidently stated that relations between Russia and Cambodia will continue to grow in strength. This is primarily due to the fact that Russian businesses who have lost access to European markets because of the sanctions are beginning to turn to other countries, in all regions of the world, which have shown themselves to be friendly towards Russia. It should also be noted that Russian humanitarian projects in Cambodia are bringing about a steady increase in the standard of living in that country, as a result Phnom Penh will be seen as a still more serious partner than it is at present.
Petr Konovalov, a political observer, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.
