Cambodia, Malaysia Reaffirm Army-to-Army Cooperation

By Vijian Paramasivam

PHNOM PENH, Aug 18 (Bernama) -- Cambodia and Malaysia have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening army-to-army cooperation following talks between their respective army chiefs on Tuesday. 

Royal Cambodian Army Commander General Mao Sophan and Malaysian Chief of Army General Azhan Othman discussed bilateral cooperation during their first formal video conference.

“Both army chiefs exchanged views on the future direction of bilateral cooperation and agreed to maintain close coordination to further deepen relations between the Royal Cambodian Army and the Malaysian Army,” the Royal Cambodian Army said in a statement posted on its Facebook page.

The two sides expressed satisfaction with the positive development of bilateral army-to-army relations and pledged to strengthen friendship, mutual trust and practical cooperation, building on the 2025 signing of the Terms of Reference on bilateral cooperation, the statement said.

General Mao Sophan also expressed appreciation for Malaysia’s support for the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord and the deployment of the ASEAN Observer Team (AOT), which has contributed to promoting peace, stability and confidence-building along the Cambodia-Thailand border.

Earlier this month, Malaysian Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin visited Cambodia and held talks with Prime Minister Hun Manet on expanding bilateral defence cooperation.

He also met his Cambodian counterpart, Minister of National Defence Tea Seiha.

-- BERNAMA