ASEAN foreign ministers will meet on Monday in Kuala Lumpur for a special session on the armed conflict between Thailand and Cambodia, after fighting along their shared border intensified in early December.
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The meeting, hosted by Malaysia in its role as ASEAN’s rotating chair until the end of the year, will bring together Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow and his Cambodian counterpart, Prak Sokhonn. Both countries are members of the regional bloc.
It will be the first face-to-face encounter between the two diplomats since clashes resumed at multiple points along the border, resulting in at least more than 50 deaths and displacing over half a million people.
Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today met with H.E. Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, on the sidelines of the Special ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on the current situation between Cambodia and Thailand, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia… pic.twitter.com/eX9G9tSX2F
— ASEAN (@ASEAN) December 22, 2025
In a statement issued Sunday, Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the meeting will “consider the steps that ASEAN could take to support efforts toward possible de-escalation and cessation of hostilities in the interest of peace and stability” for both countries and the broader region.
The current round of violence began on December 7, with both sides accusing each other of triggering the escalation. The fighting has now lasted 16 days, exceeding the five-day episode recorded in July, which ended following mediation by several countries, including the United States.
Sihasak, who is already in Malaysia, said Thailand “is working toward a ceasefire” during a phone call last Friday with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He outlined a set of conditions that Cambodia has rejected.
Fresh clashes erupt on Thai-Cambodia border as ASEAN convenes peace talks https://t.co/cxdvpnS8GE pic.twitter.com/Y3oI0q9UyQ
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) December 22, 2025
Ahead of the talks, Sokhonn said in a statement that “Cambodia will reaffirm its firm position to resolve differences and disputes through peaceful means, dialogue and diplomacy.”
Alongside Washington, China has also engaged in mediation efforts. Beijing’s special envoy for Asian Affairs, Deng Xijun, visited the region last week and met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and several ministers.
ASEAN to seek resolution to Thailand-Cambodia conflict with Malaysia meeting https://t.co/WfBvRqA1JC https://t.co/WfBvRqA1JC
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 22, 2025
Cambodia later thanked China for its efforts “to restore peace” between Bangkok and Phnom Penh. The two countries have a long-standing territorial dispute linked to border demarcations drawn in 1907, when Cambodia was part of French Indochina.
From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.