My fellow compatriots!
Today, I wish to inform all Cambodian people of an important decision taking by the Royal Government of Cambodia concerning our nation’s overlapping maritime claims with Thailand. We have delivered a formal notice to Thailand and to the Secretary General of the United Nations to begin compulsory conciliation proceeding under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNICLOS).
We have taken this step to protect Cambodia’s sovereignty and maritime rights in accordance with international law. Cambodia has always sought to resolve dispute with our neighbor peacefully. We continue to seek a relationship with Thailand based on peace, cooperation and mutual respect. At the same time, Cambodia’s sovereignty and maritime rights must be respected.
For many years, Cambodia and Thailand have had a bilateral framework to seek a peaceful settlement of our overlapping maritime claims. This framework was known as the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding, or MoU 2001. The MoU reflected a shared understanding that both countries should work together to settle the maritime boundary and to develop resources in the overlapping maritime claims area peacefully and for mutual benefit.
When the Thai Government said they would withdraw from this longstanding framework, Cambodia urged them to reconsider. Regrettably, Thailand still walked away. This means the MoU 2001 – the only agreed bilateral framework in relation to the overlapping maritime claims area over the past 25 years could no longer be relied upon. Clearly, the opportunity for bilateral negotiations to achieve a solution had been exhausted. The Royal Government has therefore carefully considered the peaceful and lawful options available to Cambodia.
The United Nation Convention on the Law of the Sea, known as UNCLOS, is the international treaty that set out the rights and responsibilities of state parties in relation to the sea. Both Cambodia and Thailand are both parties to this Convention. Compulsory conciliation is a peaceful legal mechanism under UNCLOS. It allows both countries to present their positions before an independent commission of five conciliators made up of leading international law experts.
The first compulsory conciliation process was used with great success by Timor-Leste and Australia. Through the compulsory conciliation process, both nations were able to peacefully resolve their maritime boundary in 2018. By initiating only the second compulsory conciliation in the history of UNCLOS, Cambodia hopes to again demonstrate the value of international law and peaceful dispute resolution. This is not escalation. It is a facilitated negotiation between the two nations overseen by international expert conciliators. This is not unilateral action. It is an effort to resolve the dispute peacefully through international law and in good faith.
A peaceful resolution is in the shared interests of both countries and will contribute to peace and stability in the region. It will protect sovereignty, strengthen confidence, unlock energy resources, support development, and create new job opportunities not only for now, but for also for the future generations of the Cambodian and Thai peoples.
Cambodia has never violated the sovereignty of other states. At the same time, we are unwaveringly determined to defend Cambodia’s sovereignty. Today, we continue to honor that responsibility, not through force but through international law; not through unilateral action, but through peaceful engagement.
I call upon all Cambodians to remain united, confident and steadfast. Matters of sovereignty belong to the entire nation.
Thank You!
