Phnom Penh, 5 October 2022 (TDI): Australia and Cambodia commit to broadening their military cooperation.
The meeting between Lt. Gen. Simon Stuart, Chief of the Australian Army, and Lt. Gen. Hun Manet, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) and Commander of the Royal Cambodian Army, took place in Brisbane of Queensland, Australia, on the sideline of the Land Forces International Land Defense Exhibition.
Both parties agreed to strengthen the ties between their armies, particularly with regard to their collaboration on humanitarian aid and disaster relief.
Lt. Gen. Hun Manet expressed gratitude to the people and government of Australia for their assistance to Cambodia, particularly during the country’s efforts to find peace and national reconstruction.
Lt. Gen. Hun Manet, at the request of his Australian counterpart, revealed the steps taken by the Royal Government of Cambodia as well as national-level processes and the involvement of the armed forces in the prevention and control of COVID-19.
Cambodia-Australia relationship
Australia and Cambodia celebrated the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic relationship in July 2022.
Both countries established diplomatic relations in 1952. They collaborate on a variety of shared strategic objectives on regional and international forums.
The first Australian legation was created in the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, in 1955, which paved the way for expanded bilateral cooperation.
Australia had a large role in the works of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC), a United Nations peace-keeping mission set up in Cambodia in 1991.
Furthermore, Australia continues to fund the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), a court system with the sole purpose of bringing justice to those responsible for committing crimes against humanity during Pol Pot’s reign in Cambodia.
Cambodia and Australia have long-standing broad-based and multi-sectoral relations, covering a wide range of areas, including trade and investment, defense and security, education, and public health.
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