Nikolai Patrushev, director of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) and a top adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, met with Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday to discuss ways the two countries can combat terrorism and transnational crime, the prime minister announced via Facebook.

The two met in the Peace Palace, where Hun Sen proposed the organisation of a joint international conference to combat terrorism. Patrushev said he will take the proposal to Putin for consideration, according to the post.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs official Kao Kim Hourn said the meeting was not out of the ordinary, since Cambodia “collaborates with many countries”.

“You don’t need to [share] a border to fight terrorism, it could be training, intelligence sharing, bilateral frameworks,” Hourn said.

Patrushev will meet with Ministry of Defence officials and others over the coming days, he added.

On Monday, the Kingdom’s Ministry of Commerce also met with members of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union.

“At the moment, trade is still insignificant,” said ministry official Sophari Seung. “But in the future, it could be growing.”