The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was supposed to provide an opportunity for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to deliver a video statement during the ASEAN Summit, which is being held between 10-13 November in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
During a recent phone call with ASEAN Chairman, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Zelenskyy expressed his wish to speak about the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine during the summit.
Khmer Times reports that the plan is now canceled and the Embassy of Ukraine in Vietnam has informed that the decision was taken due to a difference of opinion on the matter between ASEAN member countries.
Although Cambodia was in favor of supporting Zelenskyy’s request, the embassy said, “Unfortunately, the online address is not being planned anymore”.
Having a mutual agreement on a wide array of topics is acknowledged as one of the reasons ASEAN countries remain united despite the vast diversity among the 10 member states.
“The delivery of the address requires all ASEAN member countries to agree on that. Regretfully, the consensus was not found among all the 10 members, although Cambodian Chairmanship favored this initiative,” the embassy added.
Cambodia had earlier offered to host a discussion between Russia and Ukraine during the ASEAN summit to reduce tensions due to the ongoing war between the two nations. Cambodia and Singapore are the only ASEAN countries who had earlier cast their votes supporting a UN resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
