A meeting between the foreign ministers of Thailand and Cambodia in New York has failed to reach a conclusion on stalled bilateral ties, including maritime boundary disputes, after Cambodia insisted on moving directly to compulsory conciliation under UN law, Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said.
Sihasak met Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn at the UN headquarters in New York.
The meeting was facilitated by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is this month’s rotating president of the UN Security Council.
Both the Thai and Cambodian foreign ministers were invited by Wang to attend a UNSC session and later held a bilateral meeting.
The talks were aimed at preserving peace and improving relations between the two neighbouring countries, whose ties deteriorated last year amid border tensions and loss of lives on both sides.
The two countries signed a ceasefire late last year, but tensions have continued along the border, accompanied by verbal exchanges.
Speaking after the talks, Sihasak said now is not the time to focus on who has the upper hand, adding “We should not play that game… We must seriously discuss how we face these issues together through dialogue and negotiations first.”
He acknowledged that the talks had produced no immediate resolution and warned against expecting quick solutions to longstanding disputes, saying “Some people think that once leaders shake hands, everything is settled. That is not the case…
Negotiations will always be conducted on the basis of national interests.”
“The principle is that we must try to move forward in resolving bilateral issues, improve the atmosphere and gradually build trust,” he added.
Sihasak said, however, that misunderstandings in Phnom Penh remain, particularly over maritime boundary negotiations after Thailand withdrew from the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding on maritime claims with Cambodia.
He said Cambodia has interpreted Thailand’s withdrawal as an attempt to avoid future negotiations, which was not Bangkok’s intention.
“In reality, we withdrew because we saw that the 2001 MoU had made no progress. We wanted to create an opportunity for new negotiations and a new atmosphere for talks,” he said.
Sihasak noted that Thailand and Cambodia are now both parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS, whereas Cambodia had not yet joined the convention when the 2001 MoU was signed.
He said Cambodia wanted to move directly towards compulsory conciliation under UNCLOS, while Thailand preferred bilateral negotiations first, before considering other legal mechanisms.
Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn
“Our position is that, before moving to that process, we may still be able to resolve the matter through bilateral talks under UNCLOS… We may be able to find a solution without involving a conciliation panel,” he said.
Sihasak said Thailand wants to create a constructive atmosphere between the two countries before resorting to formal legal procedures.
“We are neighbours. Why not talk first? If discussions go well, progress can also be made in other areas,” he said, adding that Cambodia is also seeking progress on land boundary issues.
He said Thailand had proposed preliminary technical discussions on how future land boundary negotiations should proceed, arguing that the situation has changed significantly since the 2000 MoU on land demarcation.
“The issues are no longer only about border demarcation. They also involve border security and cross-border cooperation,” he said.
Sihasak added that Thailand’s position on maritime disputes does not fundamentally differ from Cambodia’s, but the two countries disagree on the process.
“Thailand’s position is to talk first and, if talks fail, then consider mechanisms available under UNCLOS, including compulsory or voluntary conciliation,” he said.
He stressed that both sides ultimately share the same goal of resolving disputes peacefully, even if they differ on the method.
Cambodia has also requested a new meeting of the Joint Boundary Commission, or JBC, but Thailand believes technical-level talks should first establish an agreed framework for negotiations.
Sihasak said border issues cannot be solved solely through technical processes and require broader political understanding and trust-building.
