Ukraine participates in the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in Southeast Asia. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba signed the agreement on Thursday at the start of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh. The Peace Treaty (TAC) concluded in 1976 obliges the parties, among other things, to mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nations involved.
The Asean countries, with a combined population of almost 700 million, have expressed caution about the Russian attack on Ukraine. While condemning the war, they generally tried to avoid blame. Eight out of 10 Asean countries voted in favor of UN General Assembly resolution condemning Russian aggression; Vietnam and Laos abstained.
In a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in early November, Cambodian President Hun Sen stressed the need to end the war so Ukraine could regain peace and stability, Hun Sen’s office said. He also pledged to support Ukraine’s aspirations to become a so-called ASEAN sectoral dialogue partner. This is a step toward the full dialogue partnership the group has with Russia, China, the United States and other countries.