Phnom penh: Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet reiterated Cambodia's full support for the success of the Philippines' upcoming Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2026, according to a press release issued this afternoon at the end of the three-day state visit by H.E. Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr., President of the Philippines, and the First Lady to Cambodia.
According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, the two leaders exchanged views on regional and international developments of common interest and reaffirmed the unwavering commitment to safeguarding peace, security, and stability in the region and beyond. They underscored the importance of ASEAN centrality and unity in the evolving regional architecture and expressed their determination to further strengthen ASEAN Community building while enhancing collaboration with external partners to address common challenges and seize new opportunities.
On bilateral ties, particularly in the defence and security sector, the two leaders welcomed expanding cooperation between their armed forces and police, especially in combating transnational crimes, including online fraud. They noted the positive outcomes of the Joint Defence Cooperation Committee Meeting in Manila in March 2025 and discussed enhancing collaboration in disaster response operations, tabletop exercises, intelligence sharing, and demining.
In the economic sphere, Cambodia and the Philippines agreed to intensify efforts to capitalise on untapped potential to increase trade, particularly in the agriculture sector, enhance investment flow, foster economic complementarity, and leverage the private sector to advance shared development goals.
Cultural and people-to-people exchanges remain a cornerstone of relations. Both leaders emphasized the importance of tourism for enhancing mutual understanding and economic growth and agreed to promote new direct flight routes to improve connectivity between their respective tourist destinations.
The two leaders deliberated on cooperation in education, migrant workers' welfare, public health, agriculture, and securities exchanges. They recognized the importance of cooperation in labour affairs and technical and vocational education and training. President Marcos expressed appreciation for Cambodia's continued support to the Filipino community.
During the visit, Cambodia and the Philippines signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) on cooperation in higher education and air services, and the Exchange of Note on the amendment of the MoU between the two polices on Cooperation in Combating Transnational Crime.