Hanoi (VNA) – Major General Nguyen Ba Luc, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, on September 18 hosted a reception in Hanoi for visiting Lieutenant General Nim Balene, Director of the Department of Operations under the High Command of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.

Maj. Gen. Luc underlined the traditional friendship and sound neighbourliness between Vietnam and Cambodia, stressing that Vietnam always attaches great importance and gives top priority to consolidating and developing the “good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation and long-term sustainability” with Cambodia. He thanked the Cambodian People’s Party, the State, and the Ministry of National Defence for sending a high-level delegation to attend the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day of Vietnam, including Cambodian troops participating in the national military parade.

Luc expressed delight at the fruitful outcomes of Vietnam–Cambodia defence cooperation, which has remained a key pillar of bilateral relations. Highlights include delegation exchanges at all levels, particularly high-level visits; the Defence Policy Dialogue mechanism, consultations, and information exchange; training and drills; land and maritime border management and protection; twinning and friendship exchanges; joint communications on bilateral solidarity; the search and repatriation of fallen Vietnamese soldiers’ remains; mutual assistance; as well as coordination and support at multilateral forums.

The host appreciated the close cooperation between the two Departments of Operations, particularly in sharing professional experience, coordinating research, assessing and forecasting the situation, and advising their respective Ministries of National Defence on strategic guidelines and solutions.

He suggested the two sides continue information exchange and coordination to provide timely and effective advice for their leaders, while also effectively implementing the 2025 cooperation plan between the two defence ministries. He affirmed that the leadership of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army always supports and facilitates enhanced cooperation between the two departments, contributing to further deepening bilateral defence ties.

For his part, Lieu. Gen. Nim Balene reported on the results of talks between the two Departments of Operations. He noted that the two sides have maintained exchanges of information on criminal activities and shared professional experience to ensure security and order along the shared border. Moving forward, the two countries will continue to promote the search and repatriation of Vietnamese martyrs who fell in Cambodia, and conduct joint patrols to maintain a border of peace, cooperation and development./.