The trilateral meeting between Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Prime Minister Hun Manet, facilitated by ASEAN chair President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., yielded a concrete stepping stone for both countries to elevate their relationship to the next level.
For nearly a year, dark clouds have hung over what had long been a warm and harmonious partnership. In Cebu, the two prime ministers signalled their readiness to mend ties gradually and deliberately, with no rush.
The summit helped get the ball rolling on confidence- and trust-building measures. Both sides have tasked their foreign ministers with identifying areas of common ground that can be acted upon immediately, a sound approach, given the long list of tangible steps that could be taken in the weeks and months ahead.
At the leadership level, sustained communication between the two countries is essential. Anutin and Hun Manet have sent a clear signal that it takes two to tango, a message directed particularly at those in uniform.
The ceasefire agreement signed at the end of last year must be fully implemented, while preparations for further bilateral talks under existing mechanisms should proceed in earnest.
In his statement, Hun Manet highlighted the role of friendship associations as a vehicle for people-to-people exchanges — a welcome gesture.
Thailand has appointed the chair and board members of the two-decade-old Thai-Cambodian Friendship Association, headed by veteran diplomat Cherdkiat Atthakorn, who served as Thailand's ambassador to Cambodia from 2023 to 2024.
On the Cambodian side, the Cambodia-Thai Friendship Association needs revitalising, as it has yet to appoint a new head. Once both associations are fully operational, they can drive programmes and activities that build trust and goodwill at the grassroots level.
Media relations between the two countries are equally critical. The role of the media in fuelling recent tensions is well documented. Before the conflict, cooperation between Thai and Cambodian journalists was thriving, with regular exchanges and mutual visits.
The National Press Council of Thailand worked closely with Cambodian counterparts to promote media professionalism, including fact-checking and information-sharing.
The conflict took a heavy toll on those ties. Now is the time for both media communities to reconnect, reassess their responsibilities and establish shared standards that promote fact-based reporting and guard against defamation and misinformation.
Before the Cebu summit, several Track Two dialogues were convened between Thais and Cambodians in third countries to identify common ground and explore ways to curb hate speech while broadening cooperation. That momentum should be maintained.
There is also low-hanging fruit, particularly along border stretches that have been clearly demarcated and remain safe. For instance, communities straddling the areas between Chanthaburi and Pailin have long coexisted peacefully.
Any return to normalcy would bring tangible benefits to these closely knit border communities — a reminder of what is at stake and what is possible.
Now is the time to act. Further delay would cause additional economic shocks and worsen human security in both countries.
