Philippines pushes for stronger defense ties with Cambodia

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is pushing for stronger defense relations with Cambodia, which will further boost bilateral cooperation in various fields.

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro met with Cambodian Ambassador Phan Peuv at the Department of National Defense (DND) building at Camp Aguinaldo on Monday.

Highlighting the outcomes of the recent bilateral meeting between President Marcos and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Australia Special Summit, Teodoro enjoined the Cambodian side to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the field of cybersecurity, humanitarian mine action and disaster risk reduction, among others.

With the Philippines and Cambodia as the two ASEAN member-states that ratified the Convention of Cluster Munitions, DND spokesman Arsenio Andolong said both officials expressed their concerns over pressing matters of illegal mine and explosives usage, and committed to work together against command-detonated mines and improvised explosive devices, which affect civilians and communities.

The ambassador, during the meeting, invited Teodoro to Cambodia’s hosting of the Fifth Review Conference of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Antipersonnel Mines and on Their Destruction, also known as the Siem Reap-Angkor Summit on a Mine-Free World.