Japanese Prime Minister Kishida welcomes Cambodia’s help for land mine detection in Ukraine
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, left, and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen shake hands ahead of their talks in Phnom Penh on Nov. 12, 2022, on the sidelines of Association of Southeast Asian Nations-related meetings. (Pool photo) (Kyodo)
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Saturday welcomed Cambodia’s offer to help Ukraine detect land mines, as Russia’s war on the Eastern European nation continues.
At a joint press event with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen after their talks in Phnom Penh, Kishida said training Ukrainian people to use land mine detectors will be a “strong message for the international community.”
The training will be provided by the Cambodian Mine Action Centre and the Japan International Cooperation Agency, a government-backed aid agency, according to Kishida.
Earlier this month, Hun Sen and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly agreed that Cambodia will begin sending land mine removal experts to Ukraine in December at the earliest.
Cambodia, this year’s chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, succeeded in removing many mines laid during decades of civil war since the 1970s in the nation, with assistance from Japan and other members of the international community.
Using its experience, Cambodia is now helping other nations by transferring mine-clearing know-how.
In September, Ukraine’s military said Russia had mined around 70,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory, with nations such as the United States and Germany having already begun helping with mine-clearing.
Kishida, who arrived in the Cambodian capital on Saturday to take part in ASEAN-related summits, also agreed with Hun Sen to upgrade their countries’ relations to a “comprehensive and strategic partnership.”
