Cambodia and Malaysia Agree to Deepen Defense Cooperation

On the morning of August 7, 2026, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Samdech Moha Bovor Thipadei Hun Manet, received Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled bin Nordin, Minister of Defence of Malaysia, for a courtesy call and working discussion at the Peace Palace. During the meeting, the Malaysian Minister of Defence highly valued the excellent relations and cooperation between the two countries, emphasizing that Cambodia is a close and trustworthy friend. He stated that his current visit will significantly contribute to strengthening bilateral relations and transforming commitments into concrete actions, aiming to further deepen Malaysia-Cambodia cooperation, especially in the defense sector. Furthermore, the Minister briefed Samdech Thipadei on the fruitful outcomes of the bilateral meeting between the defense ministers of both countries. Concurrently, the Minister affirmed Malaysia's commitment to continue providing training to Cambodia and exploring cooperation related to peacekeeping operations, responses to non-traditional security issues, maritime security, and capacity development in artificial intelligence (AI) technology within the defense sector. In response, Samdech Thipadei welcomed and expressed satisfaction with the progress of relations and cooperation between the two countries, highly appreciating the numerous achievements of cooperation between them, particularly in the defense sector. Samdech Thipadei emphasized that the Royal Government of Cambodia will continue to support the strengthening and expansion of cooperation between the defense ministries of the two countries. On this occasion, Samdech Thipadei also expressed his profound gratitude to the Malaysian government for its active participation in facilitating the ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand in the past, as well as its leadership and continued significant participation in the ASEAN Observers Team (AOT) mechanism in Cambodia. Samdech Thipadei encouraged the defense ministries of both countries to further promote this cooperation to be deeper and more cohesive. Additionally, Samdech Thipadei and the Malaysian Minister of Defence exchanged views on several regional and international issues. Before concluding, Samdech Thipadei briefed the Malaysian Minister of Defence on recent developments regarding the Cambodia-Thailand border situation, emphasizing Cambodia's commitment and stance to continue adhering to peaceful mechanisms for resolving border issues based on international law and in accordance with existing conventions, treaties, and agreements between the two countries.