H.E. Senior Minister Lee Thuc: Cambodia and Turkey’s support and experience in global mine action will continue to push towards a mine-free world
Phnom Penh, August 13, 2026 — At the headquarters of the Cambodia Mine Action Authority, H.E. Senior Minister Lee Thuc, First Vice President of the Cambodia Mine Action Authority, received H.E. Mesut Özcan, Ambassador of Turkey to Cambodia, to discuss strengthening friendship, bilateral relations and practical cooperation between Cambodia and Turkey.
H.E. Senior Minister Lee Thuc welcomed and congratulated H.E. Ambassador on assuming his new position and affirmed Cambodia’s readiness to work closely with the Turkish Embassy to transform friendly relations into mutually beneficial cooperation.
H.E. Mesut Özcan highlighted the friendly relations and good cooperation between the two countries, which have expanded to many fields, including providing scholarships for Cambodian students to study in Turkey. The Turkish Ambassador to Cambodia expressed his commitment to further strengthening the Cambodia-Turkey partnership and highlighted Turkey’s participation in contributing to the global mine action.
Regarding mine action, HE Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong shared that Cambodia has transformed from a country severely affected by mines to one with internationally recognized capabilities, skills and experience in the field of humanitarian mine action.
Alongside these achievements, HE Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong stated that Cambodia is facing new challenges related to explosive ordnance caused by the Cambodia-Thailand border conflict in some communities and areas that had previously been cleared and returned to the people for safe use.
HE Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong appreciated Turkey’s support for international mine action and highlighted that the experiences, skills and support of Cambodia and Turkey can complement each other to promote joint efforts towards a world free of mines. The cooperation will focus on sharing experiences and knowledge, building capacity and contributing to global humanitarian mine action.
