Cambodian PM highlights development links to peace and security

SIEM REAP, Cambodia, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen highlighted Tuesday that development of a country or a region is strongly linked to the existing peace and security.

In his opening address of the 7th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and the 4th ASEAN plus Three Ministerial Meeting as well as the 1st ASEAN plus China Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime, Hun Sen said, "development cannot be sustained in the absence of peace and security."

"Security situation can have a great influence on development," he said at the two-day forum of interior ministers from the 10-member states of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)and their three dialogue partners from China, Japan, and South Korea.

The forum is held in Siem Reap province, northern Cambodia.

In a statement released by Cambodia as a host of the forum, it said the countries of ASEAN share many common perspectives, and many common challenges.

"The relationship within ASEAN has always been characterized by understanding and cooperation. Together, within the ASEAN framework, ASEAN Member States (AMS) have faced many challenges and accomplished many things," the statement said.

It added that today, ASEAN Member States face many challenges within their region. Chief among these is the problem of transnational crime. AMS realizes that this is not Cambodia's problem alone. This is all ASEAN Member States face.

On Tuesday, Hun Sen admitted that terrorism and transnational crime still remain a big challenge for ASEAN region and individual country.

"Within this spirit, our anti-transnational crime dialogue today is both timely and urgent as we have clearly seen the impact of transnational crime on global and regional growth," he said.

"Fighting transnational crime, therefore, requires joint effort among all of us. In this connection, the gathering of ASEAN ministers of security and anti-crime affairs can be regarded as a joint search of solutions for transnational crime, which has threatened the people's life, social security, and economic development," he added.

Founded in 1967, the ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.