AKP Phnom Penh, May 22, 2026 --

H.E. General Vong Pisen, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, participated in the 23rd ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces Meeting (ACDFM-23) held virtually on Thursday.

The session convened under the theme, “Securing Our Future Together.”

Philippine Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr., who chaired the meeting, opened the dialogue by noting that the theme reflects a shared recognition of current regional security challenges and the collective response they demand. He stressed that peace, stability, and resilience can only be sustained through cooperation, mutual trust, and shared responsibility.

General Brawner also commended Malaysia, host of the previous 22nd ACDFM, for its leadership and contributions to advancing ASEAN defence cooperation over the past year. He specifically cited Malaysia’s management of ASEAN observer groups and its support for the ceasefire monitoring mechanism along the Cambodia-Thailand border—efforts that, he noted, reinforce the enduring value of dialogue, patience, and the “ASEAN Way.” Accepting the current chairmanship, Brawner added that the Philippines recognizes the need to continuously strengthen dialogue and confidence-building to safeguard peace through collective action.

During the session, defence chiefs exchanged views on key security issues, including maritime security, terrorism, transnational crime, cyber threats, and disaster response preparedness.

Representing Cambodia, H.E. General Vong Pisen expressed gratitude to ASEAN member states, particularly Malaysia as the 2025 chair and the Philippines as the 2026 chair, for their pivotal roles in supporting the ceasefire along the Cambodian-Thai border. He highly valued the deployment of personnel to the ASEAN Observer Team (AOT) mission in Cambodia, calling it a historic milestone proving ASEAN’s capacity to resolve its internal issues independently.

H.E. General Vong Pisen reaffirmed Cambodia’s readiness to work closely under the Philippine chairmanship to ensure the peaceful resolution of challenges in line with international law. He reiterated Cambodia’s firm principle that borders must not be altered by force, while emphasising ongoing commitments to normalising the situation along the Cambodian-Thai border.

By K. Rithy Reak