News

On 28 May in Pnomh Penh (the Kingdom of Cambodia), Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas is taking part in the 17th Ministerial Meeting of the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

During a plenary session, which was dedicated to the issues of security, Minister V.Ušackas spoke about combating human trafficking – today this is one of the most important problems. 

“Human trafficking is one of the major issues of human security both in Asia and Europe. During the last decade, human trafficking has reached epidemic level: every year over four million people become victims of human trafficking,” said Minister V.Ušackas, inviting Asian countries to adopt the judicial mechanisms of human rights regulation and to join forces for combating this one of the most severe problems of the 21st century as soon as possible.

Head of the Lithuanian diplomacy visited the Genocide Museum in Pnomh Penh, where he honoured the victims of the Khmer Rouge genocide, the Communist movement headed by Pol Pot.

At the Genocide Museum, Minister V.Ušackas said that it was important to immortalize the memory of the victims of the Communist regimes and to convey a message to a younger generation about the cruelty and brutality of regimes based on Communist ideology, independently of geography – whether in Cambodia or on the territory of the former Soviet Union.

During the ASEAN – EU Ministerial Meeting, V.Ušackas stressed that the sights, which he saw at the Genocide Museum, reminded him of what Europe experienced when the Fascist and Communist regimes rose to power. The Minister suggested including the issue of the evaluation of crimes against humanity of totalitarian regimes on the ASEAN – EU agenda.

In 1975-1979, about 1.7 million people were tortured and murdered or died of poverty and famine under the leadership of Pol Pot in Cambodia. Only now Cambodia has started to administer justice. In 2003, an agreement with the United Nations was signed on the establishment of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal for the persecution of the surviving leaders of the times of genocide.

In Pnomh Penh, Lithuania’s Minister of Affairs also met with the Foreign Ministers of Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand - Datuk Anifah Bin, Alberto Romulo and Kasit Piromya – and discussed important issues of bilateral relations.

On 28 May, EU and ASEAN Foreign Ministers were received by King of the Kingdom of Cambodia Norodom Sihamoni.

ASEAN is a regional organisation, which joins 10 Southeast Asian countries.