AKP Phnom Penh, August 13, 2026 -- Cambodia and Türkiye are strengthening their bilateral cooperation to advance global humanitarian mine action and work toward a mine-free world, Senior Minister H.E. Dr. Ly Thuch said Thursday.

H.E. Dr. Ly Thuch, First Vice-President of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA), made the remarks during a meeting with newly appointed Turkish Ambassador to Cambodia H.E. Mesut Özcan at the CMAA headquarters in Phnom Penh.

Welcoming Ambassador Özcan, H.E. Dr. Ly Thuch congratulated him on assuming his post and reaffirmed Cambodia's commitment to working closely with the Turkish Embassy to translate friendly bilateral ties into mutually beneficial cooperation.

For his part, Ambassador Özcan highlighted the strong foundation of friendship between the two nations, noting expanding cooperation across various sectors, including educational scholarships provided to Cambodian students studying in Türkiye. He expressed Türkiye’s commitment to further deepening the bilateral partnership and underscored its active participation in global mine action initiatives.

During the discussion, H.E. Dr. Ly Thuch noted that Cambodia has transformed from a country severely impacted by landmines into a nationally and internationally recognised leader with specialised expertise in humanitarian mine action.

However, he pointed out new operational challenges, noting that explosive remnants of war stemming from past Cambodia-Thailand border disputes continue to affect certain communities – including areas previously cleared and handed over to citizens for safe use.

H.E. Dr. Ly Thuch commended Türkiye’s strong support for international demining efforts, stating that the combined expertise, technical knowledge, and political will of both countries can complement each other to accelerate progress toward a mine-free world.

The joint effort will focus on experience and knowledge sharing, institutional capacity building, and direct contributions to global humanitarian demining initiatives.

By K. Rithy Reak