By Vijian Paramasivam
PHNOM PENH, Aug 8 (Bernama) — The United States described the General Border Committee (GBC) meeting that concluded in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday (Aug 7) as an important step forward in solidifying the ceasefire arrangement and establishing the ASEAN observation mechanism.
“President Trump and I expect the governments of Cambodia and Thailand to fully honour their commitments to end this conflict,” the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said in a statement posted on the US Department of State’s website on Thursday.
Rubio noted that the US “remain grateful to Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for his leadership and for hosting the ceasefire process, a direct result of his willingness to co-organise with the United States the July 28 Special Meeting to address the conflict.”
The high-profile GBC meeting was held between Cambodia and Thailand to resolve their difference over the border conflict and strengthen the July 28th ceasefire initiated by Malaysia, the current ASEAN chair.
The two nations, which have enjoyed warm bilateral relations, turned hostile over the 817-kilometre non-demarcated border territories, which led to an armed confrontation on July 24.
They agreed to end the ceasefire at midnight on July 28 after coming under pressure from ASEAN and international governments.
Malaysia was pivotal in bringing the two warring parties to peace talks.
“We look forward to supporting Malaysia, ASEAN, and both countries as this process moves forward,” said Rubio.
Cambodia and Thailand agreed to end the hostile situation during the GBC talks and move forward with diplomatic negotiations to ease tensions between them.
The dispute has strained bilateral ties and forced over 170,000 Cambodians to vacate their homes in the border areas due to the conflict.
Many are residing in temporary camps and pagodas.
Separately, at the Department of State press briefing by Principal Deputy Spokesperson Thomas “Tommy” Pigott in Washington, DC, the United States welcomes the GBC meeting in Kuala Lumpur as a constructive first step forward in the Cambodia-Thailand ceasefire arrangement.
“President Trump and Secretary Rubio call on both governments to fully honour their commitments and pursue enduring peace.
“We commend Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for his leadership in facilitating this process, and for co-hosting the pivotal July 28 special meeting with the United States,” said Pigott.
— BERNAMA
BERNAMA provides up-to-date authentic and comprehensive news and information which are disseminated via BERNAMA Wires; www.bernama.com; BERNAMA TV on Astro 502, unifi TV 631 and MYTV 121 channels and BERNAMA Radio on FM93.9 (Klang Valley), FM107.5 (Johor Bahru), FM107.9 (Kota Kinabalu) and FM100.9 (Kuching) frequencies.
Follow us on social media :
Facebook : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatv, @bernamaradio
Twitter : @bernama.com, @BernamaTV, @bernamaradio
Instagram : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatvofficial, @bernamaradioofficial
TikTok : @bernamaofficial
