WASHINGTON, December 9. /TASS/. The US administration calls on the governments of Cambodia and Thailand to immediately cease hostilities on the border and implement measures to de-escalate the conflict, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.
"The United States is concerned by continued fighting and casualties in multiple locations along the Cambodia-Thailand border," the document stated.
"We strongly urge the immediate cessation of hostilities, the protection of civilians, and for both sides to return to the de-escalatory measures outlined in the October 26 Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords signed by the Prime Ministers of Cambodia and Thailand and witnessed by [US] President [Donald] Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim," Rubio emphasized in his statement.
Clashes with firearms began on the border of Thailand and Cambodia on December 7. On Monday, the Royal Thai Army reported that Cambodian forces began shelling Thai positions in the border area early in the morning. The Thai Air Force responded by attacking Cambodian military infrastructure. The Thai Second Army Area also reported that Cambodia had shelled Thai territory on Monday and Tuesday with BM-21 multiple rocket launchers and kamikaze drones. The Thai military returned fire in order to establish control over key areas and inflict damage on the enemy.
In October, the prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia, Anutin Charnvirakul and Hun Manet, signed a peace deal in the presence of US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Kuala Lumpur.
The document outlined further steps towards a peaceful settlement of border tensions between the two countries. The parties committed "to de-escalating tensions and restoring confidence and mutually beneficial relations" between the two countries.