Cambodia condemned the armed Russian aggression in Ukraine.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky agreed with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on cooperation. Our sappers will be trained by colleagues from the mentioned Asian country.
According to The Washington Post, Zelensky held a telephone conversation with Hun Sen. As a result, Cambodia agreed to send its sappers to train the Ukrainian military.
Director General of the Cambodian Mine Action Center, Eng Ratana consulted with Japanese partners. After that, it was decided to send the first group of sappers to the territory of Ukraine in early December. And the second - in the first quarter of 2023, that is, until April.
Cambodian sappers are considered among the most experienced in the world. In 1998, the war ended in Cambodia, which lasted almost thirty years. After the hostilities, a huge state territory was left mined, creating dangers for the civilian population, especially in rural areas. Since then, Cambodian experts have destroyed a lot of ammunition and mines. They were sent under the auspices of the UN to the countries of Africa and the Middle East to clear mine territories.
Cambodia also opposed Russian aggression in Ukraine. She joined the UN resolution condemning the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation. And Prime Minister Hun Sen said: "Cambodia is always against any country that invades another country."
- In June, Interior Minister Denis Monastyrsky said it could take 5 to 10 years to clear Ukraine's mines. At that time, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, 300 thousand square kilometers of the territory were contaminated with ammunition and mines.
