KUALA LUMPUR: The detailed terms for resolving the Thailand-Cambodia border dispute will be finalised within a day or two, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He said the signing of any agreement reached by the two countries will be witnessed by him and US President Donald Trump.
“The defence ministers of Cambodia and Thailand will finalise the detailed terms, and if an agreement is reached, the signing will be witnessed by me and President Donald Trump, who also supports this resolution,” he said during the Prime Minister’s Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat.
The Prime Minister was responding to a question from Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari (PH-Gombak) regarding the list of heads of state and government attending the 47th Asean Summit and the key achievements of Malaysia’s Asean Chairmanship.
Anwar said Malaysia has successfully played the role of mediator to help resolve the border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand.
“Negotiations were held numerous times, including meetings between the heads of the armed forces of both countries in Kuala Lumpur, followed by meetings of the foreign ministers and most recently, the defence ministers of both nations,” he said.
Responding to Amirudin’s supplementary question on a new proposed framework for Asean to address the impact of regional conflicts, Anwar said the principles of centrality and neutrality must continue to guide the regional bloc.
He said there must be constructive engagement and the preservation of consultative approaches in managing regional conflicts.
“That’s why, when the issue between Thailand and Cambodia arose, we immediately took the initiative to reach out to them. We invited them to Kuala Lumpur, and eventually, an agreement was reached,” said Anwar.
He said Asean had previously not placed much emphasis on the issue of neutrality, tending instead to focus more on centrality.
“Neutrality means not taking sides at all, but centrality means continuing to maintain relations and interactions, while still being able to make efforts. The non-interference principle does not mean we cannot engage or hold discussions,” he added.
On another matter, the Prime Minister said the recent incident involving a PETRONAS vessel that was driven away by a group of fishing boats near Ketapang, Madura Island in Indonesia, has been resolved amicably.
He said while the government takes the matter seriously, the incident had not escalated to a level that required it to be raised with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, as both countries maintain strong diplomatic channels to address such issues.
“The incident involving the PETRONAS vessel has not reached the stage where we need to contact President Prabowo. Generally, our relations with Indonesia remain good, and any border issues are resolved amicably as friends,” he said in response to a question from Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man (PN-Kubang Kerian), who sought clarification on the government’s stance regarding border issues following the incident.
