Phnom Penh: Cambodia has agreed to Thailand’s proposal to hold discussions on border issues in Malaysia next week, a Cambodian defense ministry spokesperson said on Friday.
“I would like to take this opportunity to confirm that Cambodia welcomes Thailand's proposal to hold a meeting of the General Border Committee (GBC) in Kuala Lumpur,” said Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata, undersecretary of state and spokesperson for Cambodia’s defense ministry. “We're very confident that this meeting will be constructive and yield fruitful outcomes” she added.
Cambodia’s Defense Minister Tea Seiha and Thailand’s Deputy Defense Minister Nattaphon Narkphanit are expected to attend the meeting, according to Xinhua news agency.
Thailand’s Ministry of Defense confirmed on social media that Narkphanit had officially responded to Cambodia’s invitation for the special GBC meeting, expressing a commitment to reducing tensions and resolving border issues peacefully.
Armed clashes between Cambodian and Thai soldiers erupted along the disputed border on 24 July. The two sides agreed to a ceasefire on 28 July, which came into effect at midnight the same day.
Observation teams were deployed on Wednesday to monitor the ceasefire. Socheata said Malaysia, as the current ASEAN chair, had sent a high-level delegation to Cambodia on Tuesday led by its Chief of Defense Forces, General Datuk Haji Mohd Nizam Bin Haji Jaffar.
She added that two observation teams will operate on both sides of the border, one led by the Malaysian military attaché in Cambodia and the other by the Malaysian military attaché in Thailand.