Senior Minister Ly Thuch (third from left), current president of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, and Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung (third from right). CMAA
Senior Minister Ly Thuch, first vice-president of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA), held talks with Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung to strengthen bilateral cooperation on mine action and reaffirm commitments to peace-building efforts.
The meeting, which included Cambodian ambassador to Vietnam Chea Kimtha and Juan Carlos Ruan, director of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention’s Implementation Support Unit, focused on the shared goals of both nations in addressing the global landmine crisis, according to a CMAA press statement.
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Thuch, who currently serves as president of the convention, praised Vietnam’s contributions to peacebuilding in Cambodia and emphasised the importance of sustained collaboration.
“Cambodia has made significant efforts to unite nations in the shared mission of ending the suffering and casualties caused by anti-personnel mines,” he said.
“Cambodia has reached out to as many countries as possible to mobilise support for the convention’s implementation and to encourage non-party states to accede to the convention,” he added.
Thuch encouraged Vietnam to take on a more prominent role in mine action, leveraging its extensive expertise and experience. He said that while Vietnam is not yet a state party to the convention, he expressed hope for its future accession, noting that it already adheres to many of the convention’s principles.
He urged Vietnam to support it further, particularly by voting in favour of the UN resolution on its implementation and by sharing its technical expertise with other nations.
Do reaffirmed Vietnam’s support for Cambodia’s presidency of the convention and underscored the importance of expanding technical cooperation and collaboration in mine action.
“Vietnam will continue to support the spirit of the convention and participate in technical cooperation and experience sharing,” Do said, as quoted by the CMAA.
He also commended Cambodia’s role in global peacekeeping and its efforts to share its experiences with other countries affected by landmines.
