VETERAN CAMBODIAN FORMER FOREIGN MINISTER SOKHONN SET TO RETURN TO HIS POST

By Vijian Paramasivam

PHNOM PEH, Nov 19 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Hun Manet reappointed veteran politician Prak Sokhonn as the new Minister of Foreign Affairs to steer Cambodia’s foreign policy, reported Fresh News.

He will replace the current deputy prime minister and Foreign Minister Sok Chenda Sophea.  

Sokhonn, who was also the former deputy prime minister, held the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation from 2016 to 2023. 

The National Assembly is expected to vote on Wednesday in favour of the prime minister’s proposed cabinet reshuffle, said Fresh News.

As then-foreign minister, Sokhonn, a 70-year-old former diplomat and journalist, was appointed as the Special Envoy to Myanmar when Cambodia assumed the ASEAN chairmanship in 2022.

The announcement comes a day after Manet stressed that Cambodia has no intentions to bolster its military might but instead promote peace and stability to spur socioeconomic development.

“Cambodia’s as a small country, our ambition lies not in military strength but in peacemaking with respect to international laws.

“Cambodia embraces an independent foreign policy concerning international laws, which requires that we strive to strengthen our national resilience in political, security, socioeconomic and cultural fields. Cambodia stands ready to contribute to peace across our regions,” he said at the Executive Committee Meeting of the Internationale démocrate centrist-Centrist Democrat International (IDC-CDI) in Siem Reap.

Prior to replacing the foreign minister, Manet made a minor cabinet reshuffle in September with two ministers switching their portfolios. Minister of Tourism Sok Soken was made the Minister of Inspection and Minister of Inspection Huot Hak took charge of the Tourism Ministry.

-- BERNAMA