Phnom Penh (FN), Nov. 13 – Diplomacy is an art when one divides attention, breaks apart norms, and refocuses them to influence events in the international system and to achieve a particular objective beneficial to all or just one party. The benefit part is crucial because it does not have to be collective in reality so long as it appears to do that. One of the key officials within the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) with a wide range of international diplomacy experience and solid diplomatic skills is Suos Yara, Vice Chairman of the External Relations Commission of the Central Committee of the CPP. His constituents know him as a man of action and of the human relations skills he practices.
Appointed by Samdech Hun Sen, the President of the Cambodian People’s Party, Suos Yara is one of the leading figures in the CPP’s global political party diplomacy. He travels the world to attend transnational political meetings no less than ten times a year, interacting with well-seasoned political leaders, lawmakers, and other leaders of all sorts, on top of his parliamentary obligations, to promote the CPP’s ideology and Cambodian government’s positions with former, incumbent and upcoming world leaders. His untiring traverse across the globe is an achievement that includes a personal dedication to the services with which he has been entrusted and the time, energy, and resources he devoted to rendering quality results for the party and the nation.
At times, political meetings are calm with no clear ideas and become a mere formality. It takes a special individual with passion and imagination to turn it into a goal-oriented event. I recently had a unique opportunity to join Mr. Suos Yara when he led a CPP delegation to attend a meeting of ICAPP in Nepal and witnessed a lively exchange between him and leaders of political parties from Asia and Europe. In a way, the discussion was characterized by the presentation of ideas and initiatives by Suos Yara and a detailed discussion on result-oriented implementations.
Suos Yara has this unique quality to spot or create an opportunity and capture it. He can work outside existing frameworks to get things done and make it appear that the rules have been followed. This is a quality that he carefully learned from Cambodian great leader Samdech Hun Sen. Leading to the Paris Peace Accord in 1987, Prime Minister Hun Sen was able to convince Prince Norodom Sihanouk to believe in his peace plan while ensuring his domestic and foreign backers that the outcomes would be favorable to PRK government.
Suos Yara is currently the Director General of ICAPP-affiliated body Asian Cultural Council (ACC), an affiliate body of ICAPP, which aims to promote cultural exchanges, advance the values of unity within diversity, connect cultures and civilizations, and build interfaith harmony in Asia and across the globe. In 2019, the ACC and UNESCO signed a formal cooperative agreement in Siem Reap. Being a partner of the UN body is a tremendous success for ICAPP. Today, it is still the only ICAPP’s program that has an accord of cooperation with UNESCO. The Founding Chairman of ICAPP Jose de Venecia, now retired, said during a standing committee meeting in 2018, “As successful as ICAPP has been since her inception with more than 350 political parties from 70 countries, the organization has never been able to secure an observer status with the United Nations,” let alone a partnership. Thanks to the productive relationship between the ICAPP and UNESCO over the past five years, both institutions will extend this cooperative agreement for another five years.
Within ICAPP, there are many current and former Asian Heads of State/Governments, young future leaders, and mid-level leading politicians. To stand out among this group is remarkable. One of the objectives that Suos Yara has been able to sway them is that the Cambodian liberal democracy based on Buddhist values and the Constitutions is flourishing and maturing progressively, which is a fact, and that Cambodian general elections are held regularly based on the Election Laws of the Kingdom. This year ICAPP, like in the past, sent an international delegation to observe the parliamentary election held in July 2023 and issued a statement declaring the Cambodian polls as “free and fair, without violence or intimidation” that was conducted in a peaceful, inclusive, transparent and professional. In 2024, Cambodia will host ICAPP General Assembly and related meetings for a second time after doing so in 2010. Under the guidance of Samdech Hun Sen, President of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, Suos Yara will carry out the duties and assignments entrusted by the Party and the leadership with high responsibility, accountability, professionalism, and merit.
All in all, political party diplomacy is one of the powerful instruments used in many, if not all, countries across the globe, primarily seen in practice in Asia and Europe, to articulate political orientations and doctrine to achieve the objectives and goals of the political party. The CPP is fortunate to have experienced, talented, and skilful party leaders and officials to communicate and execute political party diplomacy in the regional and international arenas with high commitment, dedication, and ethical standards. I believe Mr. Suos Yara will continue to usher in more excellent results and outcomes for the Cambodian People’s Party and the country.
Kokthay ENG, Ph.D.
Cambodian Historical and Political Researcher
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