Cooperation Between Cambodia and Russia Within the ASEAN Framework

The study examines the nature of the bilateral cooperation between Cambodia and Russia within the framework of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The authors employ the neorealist theory, which allows explaining the foreign policy of states by the desire to ensure their national interests. The principles of historicism and scientific objectivity are used, which allowed establishing how Cambodia and Russia build bilateral relations, relying on such an authoritative regional organization as ASEAN. The most interesting aspect of relations is the political one, since in the modern realities of globalization, in addition to the military and economic aspects of bilateral interaction between states claiming a significant role in the system of international relations, it is the political aspect that is of particular importance due to the need to create a new model of global governance. The purpose of the article is to determine the role of cooperation between Russia and Cambodia in the development of the international regime under the leadership of ASEAN, which is the core of regional integration processes. To achieve this goal, the authors analyze the evolution of relations between Russia and ASEAN from their inception to giving them the status of a strategic partnership in the context of Russia’s turn to the East. The authors then focus on the dynamics of Cambodia’s participation in ASEAN in the context of the national interests that this state seeks to implement in its foreign policy. In the final part, it was established how the Russian Federation and the Kingdom of Cambodia interact on the ASEAN platform. The authors emphasize the large-scale structure of cooperation between Russia and ASEAN. Based on the results of the analysis of the development of the bilateral dialogue, it was revealed that Cambodia’s accession to ASEAN became an impetus for the formation of mechanisms of bilateral cooperation, which was often carried out “on the sidelines” of the Association’s events. ASEAN’s core values have influenced Cambodia’s foreign policy, contributing to strengthening its cooperation with Russia at the present stage.