Lieutenant General Nguyễn Văn Nghĩa, Deputy Chief of the Việt Nam People's Army General Staff, meets General Mao Sophan, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and Commander of the Royal Cambodian Army, on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Senior military officials from Việt Nam and Cambodia have agreed to strengthen bilateral defence ties across multiple domains.

Lieutenant General Nguyễn Văn Nghĩa, Deputy Chief of the Việt Nam People's Army General Staff, commended the fruitful military cooperation between the two countries in recent years.

He cited substantive partnerships in delegation exchanges, personnel training, border management and coordination at multilateral forums led by ASEAN as highlights.

While meeting his counterpart at Việt Nam's defence ministry headquarters on Thursday, he expressed gratitude to Cambodia's Government and defence ministry for their collaboration in search and repatriation efforts to bring home the remains of Vietnamese soldiers and experts who were killed during past wars in Cambodia.

Discussing regional and global security issues, the Vietnamese deputy chief underscored ASEAN's crucial role in shaping the regional security architecture.

On maritime disputes, he stressed the necessity of fully implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea) and expediting a legally binding, effective Code of Conduct aligned with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Looking ahead, Nghĩa proposed focused cooperation in key areas including delegation visits, joint border operations, raising training quality standards, public education on the shared traditions between the two nations' militaries, ASEAN multilateral coordination and developing a comprehensive 2025-2029 bilateral defence protocol with annual cooperation plans.

For his part, General Mao Sophan, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and Commander of the Royal Cambodian Army, said that his inaugural official visit to Việt Nam reflects the flourishing ties between the two countries and militaries.

He reaffirmed the longstanding, friendly neighbourly bond, with the peoples of both nations standing in solidarity during national liberation struggles and state-building efforts.

He expressed profound gratitude to Việt Nam's Party, government, military and people for assisting Cambodia in overthrowing the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime and supporting post-conflict national reconstruction.

The Cambodian deputy commander pledged to facilitate efforts to search, repatriate and lay to rest the remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who perished in Cambodia during past conflicts. — VNS