Vietnamese, Cambodian armies look to beef up cooperation
Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) and Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Tan Cuong on January 11 held an online working session with Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces General Vong Pisen.
During the meeting, Pisen thanked the VPA for its support for the Cambodian armed forces in all aspects in the spirit of friendly neighbourliness, expressing his hope that the pandemic would be driven back so that the two sides would be able to conduct defence cooperation activities signed between the two countries for the mutual benefit of the two armies and people.
He shared Cambodia’s experience in responding to COVID-19, while affirming the role played by the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces in the work.
The Cambodian military leader also announced his country’s plan to organize the 19th ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces' Meeting (ACDFM-19) and related activities in Phnom Penh in March this year, and invited a Vietnamese delegation to attend the event.
For his part, Cuong expressed his belief that the ACDFM-19 will be held successfully, contributing to promoting the military – defence cooperation channel within ASEAN in a practical and effectively manner.
He affirmed that the VPA is ready to assist the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces to successfully host ASEAN military and defence conferences in 2022.
The Vietnamese officer suggested Pisen continue to direct relevant authorities to closely work with the VPA in order to implement synchronously and effectively cooperation activities as listed in the 2022 defence cooperation plan signed by the two sides’ defence ministers, focusing on the exchange of delegations at all levels, information sharing, cooperation in managing border and crime prevention.