On the morning of August 27, Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen addressed the opening of the Second Inter-Parliamentary Speakers’ Conference (ISC-2) in Phnom Penh. He urged legislatures worldwide to take a more flexible and proactive diplomatic role in preventing localised conflicts from escalating into prolonged wars.
Hun Sen stressed that, in the face of threats of force and territorial disputes, the international community and regional organisations should firmly uphold the principles of state sovereignty, territorial integrity and the peaceful settlement of disputes enshrined in the UN Charter, the ASEAN Charter and other instruments.
He proposed establishing a parliamentary ceasefire observer team and an international network of eminent parliamentary mediators. Through international monitoring and mediation at the parliamentary level, the mechanisms would intervene promptly in conflicts, promote ceasefires and help prevent further deterioration.
Hun Sen said the international security landscape was complex and that some countries might use grey-zone tactics and salami-slicing strategies to gradually change the status quo, prolonging localised conflicts. He argued that traditional diplomatic mechanisms sometimes responded slowly and that parliaments should use their extensive international contacts and flexible communication channels to engage actively in peace mediation.
He also said modern conflicts were no longer limited to traditional military confrontation and could involve economic pressure, information warfare and wars of attrition. He called on the international community to strengthen cooperation to safeguard peace and an order based on international law.
