Cambodian premier, US president discuss Cambodia-Thailand border tensions

By Saadet Gokce

ISTANBUL (AA) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Saturday that he discussed the Cambodia-Thailand border tensions with US President Donald Trump during a phone call on Friday.

The call was held "to discuss the developments along the Cambodia-Thailand border, with the aim of continuing the implementation of the peace agreement between Cambodia and Thailand," Hun Manet said on US social media company Facebook.

While thanking Trump for "his initiative" on the ceasefire and the Kuala Lumpur Joint Declaration, Hun Manet also expressed Phnom Penh's "firm commitment to upholding the spirit of the Kuala Lumpur Joint Declaration and expressed hope that both sides will continue to work together in line with the principles and bilateral mechanisms agreed upon."

Trump, on the other hand, emphasized "his clear position" that he wishes to see lasting peace between Cambodia and Thailand, Hun Manet said.

"In this regard, the President will continue to closely monitor this matter to ensure that no armed clashes reoccur along the Cambodia–Thailand border," he added.

Cambodia maintains its stance of "resolving border issues peacefully, in accordance with the principles and mechanisms previously agreed upon, in order to resolve the Cambodia–Thailand border issue and build lasting peace between the two countries," Hun Manet stressed.

A White House official Friday said Trump held calls with Cambodia and Thailand in a bid to tamp down border tensions, not naming the specific officials he talked to.

One civilian was killed and three others were injured in a cross-border clash between Thailand and Cambodia on Wednesday, with both sides blaming each other, just days after Thailand suspended a peace pact.

The Southeast Asian nations signed the pact last month in Kuala Lumpur in the presence of US President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

On July 28, Cambodia and Thailand had agreed to an unconditional ceasefire at a trilateral meeting hosted by Anwar following weeks of hostilities.