PHNOM PENH, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has cancelled routine joint military exercises with the United States for the next two years, a defense spokesman confirmed on Tuesday.
"Cambodia has cancelled the Angkor Sentinel exercise with the United States in 2017 and 2018 because we will be busy with elections and anti-drug campaign," Cambodian Defense Ministry spokesman Chhum Socheat told Xinhua.
He added that armed forces are needed to protect security and public order during the commune election in June 2017 and the national election in July 2018.
Also, the forces are required to join with national police in the six-month anti-drug campaign which started at the beginning of this month, he said.
Angkor Sentinel is an annual bilateral exercise between Cambodian and U.S. military personnel. It had been conducted seven times since 2010.
