Phnom Penh: General Mao Sophan, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and Commander of the Royal Cambodian Army (RCA), hosted a bilateral meeting at the RCA headquarters with General Tan Sri Dato’ Wira Muhammad Hafizuddeain Bin Jantan, Chief of the Malaysian Army, to discuss strengthening military cooperation.
According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, during the meeting, both commanders praised the longstanding friendship between Cambodia and Malaysia, established in 1957, and expressed satisfaction with the ongoing collaboration and mutual support between the two armies. They highlighted the importance of enhancing military-to-military cooperation as a crucial aspect of the broader bilateral relationship.
General Mao Sophan expressed gratitude to the Malaysian Army for its support through training and capacity-building initiatives for the RCA. He reaffirmed Cambodia’s commitment to close collaboration with the Malaysian Army and proposed various initiatives to foster friendship, partnership, transparency, and mutual benefit.
General Tan Sri Dato’ Wira Muhammad Hafizuddeain Bin Jantan expressed appreciation for the warm hospitality during his visit to Cambodia. He noted that despite the absence of a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on defence cooperation, the progress in bilateral engagement has been encouraging. He confirmed Malaysia’s commitment to continue offering training programmes in 2025 and 2026, aiding in the RCA’s capacity building. Additionally, he suggested Cambodia share its experiences in humanitarian mine clearance operations.
The commanders also explored the potential to expand cooperation in key areas such as Army-to-Army Staff Talks, Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEE) on various sectors, junior officers exchange, and bilateral or multilateral joint exercises, particularly in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR).
The meeting concluded with a mutual reaffirmation of the enduring partnership and shared vision for a stable, secure, and cooperative regional security environment.