By Niam Seet Wei
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 26 (Bernama) – United States President Donald Trump has praised Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for successfully brokering the signing of the landmark Cambodia-Thailand peace deal today.
He said Anwar’s efforts led to a ceasefire that prevented the escalation of the border conflict between both countries and ensured the safety of thousands of civilians living on both sides of the border.
In his speech at the signing ceremony, Trump, who arrived in Malaysia this morning, described Anwar, the current Chair of ASEAN, as a great historic figure.
And for Anwar’s efforts which led to the peace deal, Trump said he was obliged to come to Malaysia to thank the Malaysian Prime Minster and at the same time attend the 47th ASEAN Summit.
He said Anwar’s ability to bring together the two parties, which were engaged in an armed conflict in July, and to resolve the dispute between them prevented the violence from spreading and soothed concerns among other ASEAN member countries.
The peace deal, known as the KL Peace Accord, was signed here by Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, while Trump and Anwar signed as witnesses.
“The two leaders (Thailand and Cambodia) have great respect for each other, but Prime Minister Anwar played a very important role in helping convene the two sides for discussions here in Kuala Lumpur,” said Trump.
Both the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia showed great courage in coming together, said Trump before witnessing the signing of the KL Peace Accord which was documented as “Delivering Peace - Cambodia-Thailand Peace Deal”.
The peace deal was signed on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Summit hosted by Malaysia.
The ASEAN Summit and Related Summits, which began today and end on Oct 28, is being held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) under tight security.
Providing further details of the events that led to the peace deal, Trump said he had called Anwar at the beginning of the dispute between the two nations.
“I called him right at the beginning, and said, you know, you have two countries that are fighting right next to you.”
“We need a third place. We need a sort of neutral place, right! And he was there,” he said.
Trump also said he promised Anwar to visit Malaysia if the latter managed to solve the dispute between Cambodia and Thailand.
“I said to him, you know, if we get this solved, I'm coming to your country.”
Thailand and Cambodia have long been in dispute over their 817-kilometre border, with recent tensions flaring into a military confrontation on July 24.
On July 28, Anwar hosted a high-stakes meeting in Malaysia’s federal administrative capital of Putrajaya between Manet and then Thai acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, which led to a ceasefire and defused tensions along their shared border.
The ceasefire, widely seen as a major ASEAN achievement, prevented a broader military escalation and ensured the safety of thousands of civilians living on both sides of the border.
Trump’s maiden trip to Malaysia today marks the first visit by an American president to the country in a decade.
Also present at the signing ceremony was Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin and Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Ambassador to Malaysia Edgard D. Kagan, as well as Thai and Cambodian officials, also attended the ceremony.
— BERNAMA
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