Cambodian and Vietnamese ministers of National Defence signed a five-year bilateral cooperation agreement from 2020 to 2025 to strengthen diplomatic ties, solidarity and military assistance between the two countries.
Vietnam also committed to assisting in training military personnel and providing materials for the sports sector of the Kingdom ahead of the 2023 SEA Games.
On Tuesday, a Cambodian delegation of senior military officials led by Minister of National Defence Tea Banh travelled to Hanoi, Vietnam, to take part in bilateral meetings with his Vietnamese counterpart General Ngo Xuan Lich.
Both parties on Friday signed a five-year bilateral cooperation document and outlined military collaboration for next year.
In a post on the Cambodian defence ministry’s website on Friday, Lich was said to have expressed his gratitude to Banh for accepting his invitation to attend the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the People’s Army of Vietnam and the tripartite meeting of Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos.
“The visit of the delegation of the National Defence of Cambodia was essential in assessing results of military collaborations for 2015-19 and in setting goals for the next five years.
“The cooperation between the two military forces will contribute in strengthening relations, friendship and cooperation in all sectors between Cambodia and Vietnam,” Lich was quoted as saying.
In response, Banh thanked Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defence for the continued support in improving capacities, skills and knowledge of RCAF officers.
He also urged stronger relations to deepen mutual trust and understanding, and expressed his appreciation for the previous bilateral cooperation from 2015 to 2019.
“We effectively implemented it and received fruitful results in improving cooperation and bettering military relations of the two countries,” said Banh.
Banh also said that in preparation for the 2023 SEA Games, which will be hosted by Cambodia, he requested for the help of Vietnam’s military forces in training RCAF officers, repairing and maintaining infrastructure, and donating equipment and training materials for Cambodia’s sports sector.
Lich agreed to the request and allowed technical institutions to work with each other for the effective implementation of these initiatives.
From December 10-18, joint military exercises between the RCAF and the People’s Army of Vietnam were held at the Kingdom’s Svay Rieng province to enhance disaster preparedness and strengthen military cooperation between the two countries.
