SIEM REAP: The Chairman of ASEAN in 2022, Prime Minister Hun Sen, has urged Southeast Asian nations to pay attention to health and climate security issues, as these issues are a major burden in the present and will continue to be in the future as well.

Speaking at the Opening Ceremony of the 9th ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting at the Sokha Hotel in Siem Reap on Wednesday morning, 23 November, Prime Minister Hun Sen said, “The Covid-19 pandemic is a wake up call for us to pay more attention to health security. Climate security is another important issue that we need to mobilize more efforts and resources. Civil-military cooperation on all aspects of security is even more important."

For the past three years, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused issues across the globe and in the ASEAN region, along with the climate crisis which continues to cause global tensions. This month, two countries in Southeast Asia were hit by natural disasters, with Malaysia facing flash floods and Indonesia being hit by a devastating earthquake that has affected tens of thousands of people.

^{PHOTO: ហ៊ុន យុទ្ធគុណ}