By Brian Jules Campued
The Philippines and Cambodia vowed to address “pressing matters of illegal mine and explosives usage” which affect civilians and communities, the Department of National Defense (DND) said on Tuesday.
Ambassador of Cambodia to the Philippines Phan Peuv paid a courtesy call to Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. at the DND headquarters in Quezon City on Monday.
During the meeting, the officials also pledged to work against command-detonated mines and Improvised Explosive Device as well as to strengthen cooperation on various security issues, including cybersecurity, humanitarian mine action, and disaster risk reduction.
The Philippines and Cambodia are among the ASEAN member states that ratified the Convention of Cluster Munitions, prohibiting the use, stockpiling, production, and transfer of cluster munitions such as landmines.
The Cambodian Ambassador also invited Teodoro to attend the Fifth Review Conference of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Antipersonnel Mines and on Their Destruction, also known as “Siem Reap-Angkor Summit on a Mine-Free World” from Nov. 23 to 29 this year.
Both countries likewise expressed optimism to more discussions during the 2024 Philippines-Cambodia Joint Defense Cooperation Committee Meeting to be held in Manila. – avds
