Cambodia and the Philippines Agree to Further Deepen Military-to-Military Cooperation
Cambodia and the Philippines Agree to Further Deepen Military-to-Military Cooperation
On the morning of 20 October 2026, Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei HUN Manet, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, received a courtesy call from General Antonio G Natarrete, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and his delegation at the Peace Palace.
During the meeting, General Natarrete expressed his deep gratitude to Samdech Thipadei for taking the time out of his busy schedule to receive him and his delegation. He recalled the longstanding and excellent relations and cooperation between the two countries, particularly in defence and security. Expressing satisfaction with the progress made in cooperation between the two armies, General Natarrete reaffirmed the Philippines’ commitment to further strengthening and expanding military cooperation, particularly between their respective navies and air forces.
In response, Samdech Thipadei warmly welcomed General Natarrete and his delegation to Cambodia and congratulated him on his recent appointment as Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. He expressed satisfaction with and commended the progress made in bilateral defence relations and cooperation, particularly in experience-sharing through training programmes and capacity-building between the two armies. Samdech Thipadei expressed hope that army-to-army cooperation would continue to strengthen and expand, paving the way for the future signing of cooperation agreements between their respective navies and air forces and the translation of such agreements into concrete actions and tangible results. Furthermore, Samdech Thipadei commended the role of the ASEAN Observer Team (AOT) and expressed confidence that, under the Philippines’ leadership, the AOT would continue to play an active role in facilitating a peaceful resolution of the Cambodia–Thailand border issue. He also briefed General Natarrete and his delegation on recent developments concerning the Cambodia–Thailand border situation, reaffirming Cambodia’s commitment to resolving border issues peacefully on the basis of existing bilateral agreements, conventions, treaties, and international law. He further reaffirmed Cambodia’s unwavering commitment to upholding all previously agreed bilateral agreements.
Before concluding the meeting, Samdech Thipadei and General Natarrete discussed and exchanged views on strengthening military-to-military cooperation to combat transnational crime, including online scams, terrorism and cyberattacks, with a view to contributing to regional and global peace, stability and prosperity.
(Unofficial Translation)
