Minister of National Defence General Tea Banh on March 18 asked Vietnam to take in Cambodian cadets for military training and send trainers to the Kingdom, according to the ministry’s Information Department.

Tea Banh made the request at a meeting with Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Defence and Chief of the General Staff of the People's Army of Vietnam, Senior Lieutenant Nguyen Tan Cuong, who came to Cambodia to attend the 19th ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces' Meeting (ACDFM-19) from March 15-17.

The department noted in a March 18 statement that Tea Banh at the meeting praised the results of a 2021 cooperation plan and the launch of a new version for this year, which it said both sides had agreed to implement together as “traditionally good neighbours”, to promote comprehensive strategic cooperation.

The minister said the latest plan aims to strengthen cooperation in all sectors as well as “friendship, brotherhood and solidarity”, which are the “key factors” to advance the mutual interests between the armies of the two countries.

“[Tea Banh] requested the Vietnamese foreign ministry to provide training and ramp up information technology [IT] cooperation”, and called for more partnerships between the armies and navies of the two countries, the statement said.

The minister also advocated for joint military exercises for disaster relief and humanitarian cooperation along the border, as well as to combat terrorism, transnational crimes and drug trafficking.

Cuong stressed that Cambodia and Vietnam have an established tradition of mutual help, the statement said, adding that the defence ministries will ensure that memorandums of understanding signed between the two countries “continue to flourish”.