Malaysia’s Anwar calls for dialogue to ease border tensions between Thailand, Cambodia

By Berk Kutay Gokmen

ISTANBUL (AA) – Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim spoke over the phone with his Thai and Cambodian counterparts and called for dialogue to ease the ongoing border tensions between the two neighboring countries.

The phone call came ahead of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers' meeting on Monday.

Anwar said on US social media company X that during the phone calls, “I emphasized the importance for Cambodia and Thailand to adhere to the spirit of dialogue, wisdom, and mutual respect in order to end the tensions and maintain the peace and stability in the region.”

Thailand and Cambodia signed a peace agreement in October in Kuala Lumpur in the presence of Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, but that was later suspended after Thai soldiers were seriously injured in a landmine explosion in a border province.

The two countries have a long-running border dispute that has repeatedly erupted into violence.