Prime Minister Hun Manet highlighted the successful outcome of a meeting between General Ronald P. Clark, Commander of the US Army Pacific (USARPAC), and General Mao Sophan, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) and Commander of the Royal Cambodian Army (RCA).
The meeting took place at the Peace Palace on Monday.
Gen Clark emphasised the importance of people-to-people relations and strong military-to-military cooperation, noting that the US is keen to see growth in bilateral relations, especially in the military sector.
He praised Cambodia for its role in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions, with Cambodian forces serving under the UN umbrella in several countries.
Mr Hun Manet noted that the frequent exchange of visits and the resumption of cooperation in areas such as training activities reflected the progress in the relationship between the two countries.
He thanked the US government for its support in mine and unexploded ordnance clearance efforts and emphasised that Cambodia, once a host country for UN peacekeeping forces, is now contributing to peacekeeping missions globally.
Mr Hun Manet encouraged continued communication between the US Army and RCA to strengthen and expand cooperation.
According to the RCA’s statement, during the meeting, Gen Sophan and Gen Clark commended the 75th anniversary of Cambodia-US diplomatic relations and acknowledged the steady growth of bilateral cooperation across various domains, including trade, tourism, culture, counterterrorism, peacekeeping, demining, the recovery of missing American military personnel and defence collaboration.
Gen Sophan underscored the importance of military dialogue in building mutual trust and confidence and reaffirmed his commitment to working closely with Gen Clark to strengthen bilateral cooperation based on friendship, transparency and mutual benefit.
Gen Clark commended the positive trajectory of Cambodia-US military cooperation, noting the resumption of port calls after an eight-year hiatus and extended appreciation for Cambodia’s ongoing humanitarian efforts in the search and recovery of missing American personnel a significant gesture of goodwill and commitment to shared humanitarian values, the statement added.
He noted that the purpose of his visit was to reinforce and expand bilateral defence ties between Cambodia and the United States particularly between the RCA and USARPAC.
Both commanders also engaged in constructive discussions on a range of cooperative initiatives, including Cooperation in Humanitarian Mine Action, FOW MIA, Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEE across various military domains), RCA-LS Land Forces Talks, Exploring the possibility to co-host Indo-Pacific Armies Management Seminar (IPAMS), and resuming the Angkor Sentinel Exercise.
Gen Clark also met with Minister of Defence General Tea Seiha, and the RCAF Commander-in-Chief General Vong Pisen on Monday.
The US Embassy to Cambodia said in a statement that Gen Clark held constructive meetings with Mr Hun Manet and top military leadership during a visit to Phnom Penh on Monday.
“In their discussions, the officials explored ways to enhance the US-Cambodia bilateral defence relationship to promote Indo-Pacific peace and security. Talks covered military training exchanges focused on disaster relief, United Nations Peacekeeping, and efforts to make Cambodia mine-free,” the statement said.
Officials of both nations expressed their support for ongoing dialogue regarding these matters.
