Cambodia’s Minister of Defence to Visit Australia

PHNOM PENH—Defence Minister Tea Seiha will travel to Australia from Sept. 6 to 10, a trip that the ministry is describing as historic and intended to strengthen defence cooperation between the two nations.

The Ministry of National Defence said in a press release on Sept. 4 that the visit is being conducted at the invitation of Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles. This will be the first time that the two ministers of defence meet and discuss bilateral issues and topics that are key to both countries. 

Those will include military cooperation, maritime security, cybersecurity, information sharing, professional military education and defence policy development, the press release read. The two ministers will also touch on regional issues. 

“This official visit by the Minister of National Defence will reaffirm the historic and friendly relations between the two nations, highlighting a steady increase in bilateral military cooperation in particular,” the ministry said in the press release.

This strengthening of relations aligns with the policies of both governments, aimed at elevating bilateral relations to a “Comprehensive Partnership” level in the near future, the ministry added.

Diplomatic ties between Cambodia and Australia were established in 1952 and can be traced back to the signing of the Colombo Plan, an initiative of the Australian government to deepen relations between Australia and the Indo-Pacific region.

In the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge regime in 1979, Australian interests in Cambodia increased progressively, from the Australian government’s active and substantial role in seeking a resolution to Cambodia’s conflict to assisting Cambodia on its path to reconstruction.

The two countries have long-standing, broad-based and multi-sectoral relations covering a wide range of areas including trade and investment, defense and security, education and public health.