The technical assistance provided to Ukrainian mine disposal personnel is purely a humanitarian act, the head of government said during the graduation ceremony of the Western University, the Khmer Times newspaper reported.

According to the publication, Hun Sen stressed that Cambodia has not sent any troops or mine disposal trainers to Ukraine, and noted that the Kingdom is also affected by landmines and unexploded ordnance.

Up until now, he pointed out, the Cambodian mine disposal experts have provided their services to many other countries under the umbrella of the UN and are currently carrying out missions in Mali, South Sudan, Lebanon and the Central African sub-region.

Hun Sen’s remarks were preceded by a note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation stressing that Ukrainian the mine-clearing specialists have been provided with technical training in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) purely for humanitarian reasons.

“The said training should not be misunderstood as military support,” the statement said, explaining that it was a response to the publication on a Telegram channel named Demografiya Upala, of an infographic that showed Cambodia among nations that provide military support to Ukraine.

These nations are colored in red, while those that provide humanitarian aid are in yellow, the ministry explained, and urged the authors of the infographic to correct what he considered an incorrect categorization.

The statement further noted that this could be detrimental to Cambodia as a peace-loving country that strictly adheres to a foreign policy of neutrality, as set out in its Constitution.

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