SINGAPORE: Australian Defense Minister Richard Marlse praised Cambodia-Australia relations in the field of defense and hoped that the relationship would be further expanded in the future. He made the remarks during a meeting with Cambodian Defense Minister, Deputy Prime Minister Tea Banh in Singapore on Sunday 12 June.

Deputy Prime Minister Tea Banh expressed his pleasure at the Cambodian-Australian military relationship and stated that the cooperation between Cambodia and Australia has been going on for a long time and this cooperation has been very fruitful.

Australia has assisted the Cambodian Ministry of National Defense in the first step in compiling the White Paper on National Defense, an important defense policy, and the 2022 National Defense Book was officially announced recently.

In addition, it also helped to teach English to the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, and through this knowledge of English, Cambodia sent trainees to continue their studies everywhere. Officers who went to train in Australia returned to work in the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces with quality.

Deputy Prime Minister Tea Banh emphasized that solidarity for security, harmony, mutual understanding, and respect for each other's interests are important in maintaining peace, stability, and prosperity in the region.

Deputy Prime Minister Tea Banh also invited Richard Marlse to attend the ASEAN Defense Minister’s Meeting (ADMM-Plus) hosted by Cambodia in November.

The meeting between the two ministers took place at the 19th Asian Security Summit, which was held from 11-12 June 2022 in Singapore.