Roundtable Dialogue on 65 Years of Indonesia-Cambodia Cooperation
Observations by Mr. Him Raksmey, Executive Director of the Cambodian Center for Regional Studies
On 12 February 2024, CCRS researchers were invited to take part among other eminent Track 1 and Track 2 experts in the Roundtable discussion to commemorate the 65 Years of Indonesia-Cambodia enduring relations. As host, H.E. Dr. Santo Darmosumarto, Ambassador of Indonesia to Cambodia thanked all participants and expressed Indonesia’s firm commitment to enhance bilateral relations with Cambodia in the next phase of their cordial interaction. The roundtable aimed to discuss the past and present state of Indonesia-Cambodia relations and explore new prospects to address common challenges.
As one of the participants and as a young generation of Cambodia, I hold the views that Indonesia has played a crucial role in almost all the major difficult episodes of Cambodia. Indonesia has been a trusted big brother of Cambodia and have helped the kingdom reemerges from difficult situations to normal country time and again. For instant, from the Jakarta informal meetings to the Paris Peace Agreements, from UNTAC operation to the rebuilding Cambodia, from the July 1997 turbulent period of government with two prime ministers to the accession of ASEAN in 1999, from special meeting in Bogor on 7-8 April 2011 to facilitate the negotiation between Cambodia and Thailand over the 4.6 square kilometers of disputed land surrounding the Temple of Preah Vihear, and from no consensus to the issuance of the ASEAN’s Six-Point Principles on issues related to the South China Sea on 12 July 2012 in Phnom Penh. Cambodia owes a debt of gratitude to Indonesia.
At the Roundtable, Ambassador Pou Sothirak, Distinguished Advisor to CCRS also raise three suggestions to hasten closer relations between the two countries. First, he suggested that the two countries organize national dialogue annually both at the official and think tank level to discuss common issues related to the outlook of their bilateral relations and at the regional level. Second, he called for a revival of Buddhism linkages between Borobudur and Angkor Wat which define a unique cultural bond between the great Srivijaya empire and the flourishing Angkor civilization. And third, he expressed his appreciation to the announcement of the MOU between Indonesia and the Mekong River Commission at the end of ASEAN retreat in Laos PDR which can serve as good impetus to narrowing the gap of misunderstanding between maritime and mainland Southeast Asia over the Mekong River issues.
