PHNOM PENH: The Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army, General Narongphan Jittkaewtae, pays a two-day visit to the Kingdom of Cambodia for the first time since taking office, at the invitation of the Royal Cambodian Army on Thursday, 3 February, 2022.

During the official visit, General Jittkaewtae has led a high-level delegation from the Royal Thai Army to the Army Headquarters and held a bilateral talks with the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, Commander of the Royal Cambodian Army , Lieutenant General Hun Manet.

The two Commanders have proudly discussed the countries’ traditional friendly relations, good neighborliness, and close cooperation in all areas, which bring mutual benefits and in times of disasters, such as the cooperation to prevent Covid-19 in the past.

Both sides have praised the Cambodian –Thai military cooperation, which had made great strides and achieved many fruitful results both at the military level as a whole and at the army level particulary, including human resource development, joint exercises, exchange of visits, and the maintenance of regular working relation in accordance with commands, regulations, and directions of the governments of both countries to maintain peace and security and prevent cross-border crimes.

The armies of both countries have also pledged to make efforts to contribute to the building and strengthening of friendly and peaceful border areas, cooperation, and development in the spirit of forbearance and tolerance, and to the resolving of issues through existing mechanisms at all levels based on mutual respect for independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. Peace,security, and stability along borders have created favorable conditions for cross-border commercial activities, which greatly contributes to job creation and the improvement of the lives of the people of both countries.

Lieutenant General Hun Manet has expressed his deep appreciation to the Royal Government of Thailand for supporting the outcome of the visit to the Republic of Union of Myanmar of Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen, as ASEAN chair. The visit was primarily intended to help end acts of violence, civil war, and humanitarian crisis as well as to ensure ASEAN’s centralilty and solidarity based upon various principles enshrined in the ASEAN Charter such as those of sovereignty, non-interference, and consensus.

The result of the bilateral talks, the two Army Commanders have jointly signed the “Terms of Reference for Bilateral Cooperation between the Royal Cambodian Army and the Royal Thai Army “ in order to strengthen and expand friendly relations and bilateral cooperation as well as to promote open discussion of subjects of mutual interests. The document is an important basis for paving then way to enahanced mutually beneficial cooperation in all areas under the framework of the Royalm Cambodian Army and the Royal Thai Army, and then event marks another milestone in the history and ushers in a new era of the bilateral relations of both armies.