Cambodia, US to continue open dialogue, strengthen military cooperation

KT
September 20, 2024

General Mao Sophan, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) and Commander of the Royal Cambodian Army on Wednesday, received a courtesy call from a delegation led by Major General Timothy J Donnellan, Commander of the Idaho National Guard of the United States.

Gen Sophan praised the diplomatic relations and the cooperation between the two countries and said that the visit of US Secretary of Defence Lloyd James Austin to Cambodia in June was a new step in building trust and confidence to improve relations between the two countries, especially in the field of defence.

Maj Gen Donnellan said that the US and Cambodia are good and important partners, and since 2009, the US has been cooperating with Cambodia on peacekeeping, humanitarian, and disaster relief operations, and he strongly hopes that the cooperation between the two armies will be further enhanced through exchanges of visits, training, joint exercises, and sharing of experiences related to demining and disaster relief.

At the end of the meeting, Gen Sophan also took Maj Gen Donnellan and the delegation to visit the former Khmer Rouge detention centre and the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia.