PHNOM PENH: The Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, General Ith Sarath, has confirmed that the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces is ready to chair the 19th ASEAN Chiefs of Defense Forces Meeting (ACDFM-19) under the theme "Unity for Peaceful Harmony" from 16-18 March.

During the meeting to inspect shortcomings of the Ministry of National Defense on Sunday afternoon, General Ith Sarath reaffirmed that the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces will be responsible for three main ASEAN events this year: the ASEAN Chiefs of Defense Forces Meeting, the ASEAN Military Intelligence Meeting, and the ASEAN Military Operations Meeting.

He stated that the Ministry of National Defense has set up a sub-committee to chair the upcoming ASEAN Chiefs of Defense Forces Meeting, led by himself, and members of other units under the Commander-in-Chief have been assigned responsibility for different tasks by the leadership.

General Ith Sarath added that Cambodia hosting ACDFM-19 shows the national pride of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and the history of the nation under the wise leadership of Prime Minister Hun Sen, especially during the time of the Covid-19 pandemic, as it shows the international community that Cambodia has sufficient resources and capabilities to control the spread of Covid-19.

He further stated that this historic event provides an opportunity for the Ministry of National and the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces as a whole to demonstrate their prestige and ability to pave the way for maintaining unity, solidarity and resilience in ASEAN.

Later in the year, the 16th ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting is tentatively set to take place on 21 June 2022.