Lieutenant General Hun Manet, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) and commander of the Royal Cambodian Army, said that peace, security and stability on the Cambodia-Thailand border bring great benefits to both countries.

Manet, along with a senior RCAF delegation, was in Thailand to discuss issues of mutual concern with Thai Minister of Defence General Prayut Chan-o-cha as part of his September 19-20 visit.

Manet thanked the government, people and military of Thailand for providing Cambodian people who resided and worked in Thailand during the Covid-19 pandemic with assistance and coordinating the return crossings at the border for Cambodian workers.

“Peace, security and stability along the border have really facilitated cross-border trade, which is an important contribution to creating jobs and raising the living standards of people of the two of our countries,” he added.

At the meeting, Chan-o-cha said that when it comes to military cooperation between the two countries, he supports and appreciates such initiatives because they foster close and friendly relations and good cooperation, which plays an important role in ensuring that positive relations between the two nations are strong and lasting.

He congratulated Cambodia on the success of hosting the 16th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting in June and supported Cambodia in fulfilling its role as chair of ASEAN, including by taking measures to resolve the Myanmar crisis.

He said that he wished Cambodia luck with continuing to achieve this great and important duty for the remainder of 2022.

Manet thanked Chan-o-cha for his support for furthering international cooperation and added that the armies of the two countries had established a good level of cooperation between frontline units on the borders and connections between the tactical level units with personal relationships that help to build trust as people get to know each other better.

“The benefits of shared human resource capacity training are not only in the present, but also for the next generation,” he said.

Manet emphasised that the armies of the two countries had worked hard to build trust and strengthen security in the border areas in the name of friendship, peace, cooperation and development.