ISTANBUL

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen said Monday the Southeast Asian nation is against the invasion of sovereign countries.

“Cambodia is always against any country that invades another country,” Sen said, according to the Cambodian Fresh News website.

“Russia is a friend of Cambodia and used to help Cambodia. However, the kingdom does not support invasions,” Sen said, in an apparent reference to Moscow’s war on Ukraine which started on Feb. 24.

Cambodia also voted against Russia at the UN earlier this month.

Sen said Cambodia opposes “all kinds of invasions and that the kingdom’s foreign policies respect the UN charter and international laws.”

“We strongly oppose the threats and the use of force against another country. We must respect the independence and sovereignty of other countries,” Sen said.

Earlier this month, Sen said the war between Ukraine and Russia was “Europeanized,” given the major role that the European Union is playing. The EU has extended military support to Kyiv.

“Some countries in Europe have contributed to Ukraine in the form of personnel, weapons, financing, and other resources,” Sen said.

Arguing that such acts encourage the war to continue, he had said: “This no longer is a war between Ukraine and Russia but between Russia and Europe.”

“Only the king, the government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation have the rights to speak on the kingdom’s foreign policy,” Sen said.

According to Cambodia’s Foreign Ministry, the country is “concerned on the intensifying gravity of the situation and worsening humanitarian conditions resulting from the ongoing military hostilities in Ukraine.”

Urging dialogue to end the war, the statement said “while understanding the security concerns at stake, Cambodia upholds its firm position that all Member States must respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of other Member States.”

Russia’s war on Ukraine has been met with international outrage, with the European Union, US, and the UK, among others, implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

At least 1,119 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 1,790 injured, according to estimates by the UN, which cautioned that the true figure is likely far higher.

More than 3.82 million Ukrainians have also fled to neighboring countries, with millions more displaced inside the country, according to the UN refugee agency.