Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia hold annual defence ministerial meeting
Defence ministers of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia convened their annual meeting in Phnom Penh on November 25 to reinforce trilateral cooperation in the field.
Vietnamese Minister of National Defence General Phan Van Giang noted that the ties are essential for maintaining peace, stability, and development in each nation. Expressing Vietnam’s gratitude for the support from Laos and Cambodia in its past struggle for independence and reunification and current national development, he affirmed the country’s commitment to prioritising and strengthening its trusted and close relationship with the two neighbours.
Lao Defence Minister General Chansamone Chanyalath underscored the military's pivotal role in cultivating and safeguarding the trilateral friendship and solidarity, while his Cambodian counterpart General Tea Seiha praised the effectiveness of such defence collaboration and its contributions to border security, peace, and stability as well as the ASEAN Community’s development.
The three defence ministers reached consensus on several key areas of future cooperation, including the maintenance of the annual meeting mechanism and joint military training and exercises to address non-traditional security challenges as well as the enhancement of public communications and education to reinforce trilateral solidarity and counter misinformation and sabotage from hostile forces. Also important is their border security collaboration, which covers sharing information, conducting joint patrols, and creating conditions conducive to border economic growth. The sides should also continue supporting each other in international and regional forums, particularly within ASEAN mechanisms such as the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) and ADMM-Plus.
Earlier in the day, the ministers attended a joint rescue exercise in Kampong Chhnang province. Conducted from November 18-25, the exercise focused on disaster response to collapsed structures and involved nearly 700 personnel, including 563 from the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, 64 from the Lao People's Army, and 71 from the Vietnam People's Army.
The delegations also visited Tep Pranom high school in Kandal province, where General Giang and the Vietnamese delegation donated 30 computers to support its teaching and learning activities.
