The Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation this afternoon issued a statement, strongly deploring the long-arm jurisdiction of the United States over Cambodian officials on the basis of groundless allegations driven by geopolitical motives.

“The smear campaign and unilateral sanction of the United States against public figures of a sovereign state not only violate international laws and basic norms governing international relations but display an utter contempt for the independence of another country as well as act as a serious interference in its domestic affairs,” it said.

This designation runs counter to the Resolution of the Human Rights Council (46/5) adopted in March 2021, which strongly condemns the continued application of unilateral coercive measures by certain powers as tools of pressure against least developed and developing countries, with a view to preventing them from exercising their right to decide their own political, economic and social systems, it continued.

“Cambodia has always expressed its desire for stronger and closer relations, despite the painful past with the United States. This week, the Department of State has obviously evinced its interest in "working together with Cambodia as the next ASEAN Chair". However, the illegally imposed prohibition is another step in the wrong direction, which totally deviates from the spirit of amity and renewed endeavors to elevate the productive partnership between the two countries in the area of trade and investment, counter-terrorism, peacekeeping, POW/MIA, repatriation, peace corps volunteers, people-to-people linkage and other key regional issues of shared interests,” underlined the statement.

Source: Agency Kampuchea Press