Given some unclear reporting in various international news outlets regarding Cambodia’s position on the ceasefire proposed by His Excellency Anwar Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia and the rotating ASEAN Chair, I am obliged to clarify as follows:
Yesterday evening, on 24 July 2025, His Excellency Anwar Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia and the rotating ASEAN Chair, requested a phone conversation with me to discuss the fighting between the Cambodian and Thai militaries along the border.
He expressed his concern over the conflict and his desire for an immediate ceasefire to pave way for a resolution between the two sides.
I made it clear to His Excellency Anwar Ibrahim that Cambodia agreed with his proposal for a ceasefire because Cambodia did not initiate this fighting.
An initial response I received from His Excellency Anwar Ibrahim after he spoke with His Excellency Phumtham Wechayachai, acting Prime Minister of Thailand, was that the Thai side had agreed to his proposal for a ceasefire, setting 12:00 AM on 24 July 2025 as the time for both sides to cease the fighting.
However, it is regrettable that just over an hour later, the Thai side informed that they had reversed their position from agreeing to the ceasefire at 12:00 AM on 24 July 2025, to not agreeing and waiting for a later date. His Excellency Anwar Ibrahim is well aware of this situation.
Therefore, the key to resolving the current armed conflict between Thailand and Cambodia is the genuine willingness of the Thai side to accept a ceasefire, which is the first step towards finding further solutions between the two countries.
