HANOI, December 17. /TASS/. Cambodia and Thailand are working to resolve their border conflict as soon as possible, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim stated following talks with the leaders of both countries.
According to Ibrahim, who serves as the current chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which includes Malaysia, Cambodia, and Thailand, both sides have expressed a desire to settle their border dispute post haste. The Malaysian prime minister was quoted by the Cambodian news portal Fresh News as saying that ASEAN foreign ministers will meet in Kuala Lumpur on December 22 in an attempt to persuade Bangkok and Phnom Penh of the need to establish lasting peace.
Earlier, Ibrahim stated that his country is in "complex negotiations" with the parties to the conflict to "reduce tension."
On December 12, US President Donald Trump said that he had spoken by phone with the prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia and that the two leaders agreed to cease hostilities within 24 hours and return to the implementation of peace agreements. However, after that fighting continued.
Clashes involving small arms began on the border between Thailand and Cambodia on December 7. According to the Cambodian National Defense Ministry, after several days of provocative actions by the Thai armed forces aimed at igniting a new round of confrontation in the border areas, they began attacking Cambodian positions.