Saudi Arabia Calls for Restraint amid Thailand-Cambodia Clashes
In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said that the Kingdom is closely following the recent border escalation between Thailand and Cambodia.
In the light of this, Saudi Arabia called on both nations to exercise restraint, de-escalate tensions, and resolve disputes through diplomatic means.
The border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia erupted on Thursday after a land mine exploded and injured 5 Thai soldiers. The two countries accused each other of starting the conflict. As a result, they engaged in border fighting, recalled their ambassadors and Thailand closed its border crossings with Cambodia.
On Sunday, both countries signaled their willingness to negotiate a ceasefire to end the border dispute, which has killed at least 34 people and displaced more than 168,000, according to the Associated Press (AP).
This followed mediation efforts by the US President, Donald Trump, who on Thursday said he spoke with the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia, warning that he would not move forward with trade agreements with either country if they did not end hostilities.
Later, Trump said both parties agreed to negotiate a ceasefire. However, fighting continued on Sunday across parts of the disputed border, with both sides trading accusations over troops movements and renewed shelling.
The recent conflict marks a dramatic escalation in a long-standing dispute between the two neighboring countries, as their shared 800-kilometer border has dozens of contested areas.
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