Kuala Lumpur, Dec 22
The Foreign Ministers of Association of SouthEast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries, who held a 'special meeting' in Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur on Monday to address the current situation between Cambodia and Thailand, have urged both countries to exercise restraint and take immediate steps for the cessation of all forms of hostilities.
The meeting reaffirmed the commitment to ASEAN unity and solidarity as well as ASEAN Centrality in ensuring regional peace, security, stability and prosperity, in accordance with the ASEAN Charter. The participants of the meeting voiced serious concerns on the continued tensions and hostilities, which have caused significant casualties, damage to civilian infrastructure, and displacement of people on both sides of the border, according to the statement released by the ASEAN Chair.
The members urged Thailand and Cambodia to ensure that civilians residing in the affected border areas are able to return, without obstruction and in safety and dignity, to their homes and normal livelihoods as they existed prior to the outbreak of hostilities.
The meeting took place as the Cambodia-Thailand border conflict has reignited since December 7 with both sides accusing each other of initiating the attack.
The statement said, "The Meeting urged Cambodia and Thailand to exercise maximum restraint and take immediate steps towards the cessation of all forms of hostilities. The Meeting called on both countries to restore mutual trust and confidence, and to return to dialogue, including through bilateral mechanisms as well as making use of the good offices of the ASEAN Chair, revive cooperation on humanitarian demining and implement military de-escalation along their shared border under the observation of the AOT, and to uphold the principles of international law, peaceful co-existence, and multilateral cooperation in the pursuit of a peaceful and durable resolution to the situation."
During the meeting, Malaysia briefed the participants of the meeting on the efforts made by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, as ASEAN Chair, to encourage both nations to cease hostilities. Cambodia and Thailand shared their respective positions during the meeting.
The participants of the meeting recalled the ceasefire arrangement of 28 July, the decisions of the Extraordinary General Border Committee (GBC) Meeting of 7 August and the Kuala Lumpur Joint Declaration signed on 26 October 2025, and urged both Cambodia and Thailand to fully implement them.
The statement said, "The Meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment to refrain from the threat or use of force, peaceful settlement of disputes, and respect for international boundary and of international law, for the promotion of peace, security, stability, and prosperity in the region on the basis of mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, and national identity, in accordance with the United Nations Charter, ASEAN Charter and Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC)."
According to the statement, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers welcomed the discussions on resumption of the ceasefire and cessation of hostilities. The GBC will convene on 24 December 2025 to discuss the implementation and verification of the ceasefire. The ASEAN Foreign Ministers expressed hope for de-escalation of hostilities at an earliest.
- IANS
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