Cambodia and Malaysia Agree to Deepen Defense Cooperation

On the morning of August 7, 2026, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet received a courtesy call and held discussions with Malaysian Minister of Defence Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled bin Nordin 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 trusted friend. He stated that his current visit would significantly contribute to strengthening bilateral relations and transforming commitments into concrete actions, aiming to further deepen Malaysia-Cambodia cooperation, especially in the defense sector. Additionally, he briefed the Prime Minister on the fruitful outcomes of the bilateral meeting between the two defense ministers. The Malaysian Minister also affirmed Malaysia's commitment to continue providing training to Cambodia and to explore cooperation in areas such as peacekeeping operations, response to non-traditional security issues, maritime security, and capacity building 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 in cooperation between them, particularly in the defense sector. He emphasized that the Cambodian government will continue to support the strengthening and expansion of cooperation between the defense ministries of both countries. He also expressed 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 Observer Team (AOT) mechanism in Cambodia. Samdech Thipadei encouraged the defense ministries of both countries to further deepen and strengthen this cooperation. Furthermore, the Prime Minister 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 the latest developments in the Cambodia-Thailand border situation, emphasizing Cambodia's commitment and stance to continue pursuing peaceful mechanisms for resolving border issues based on international law and in accordance with existing conventions, treaties, and agreements between the two countries.