ASEAN Must Do What Is Necessary to Maintain Regional Peace - Malaysia FM

By Zarul Effendi Razali & Nabilah Saleh

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 22 (Bernama) -- ASEAN must do whatever is necessary to maintain regional peace and stability, Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said on Monday, stressing that efforts to address the Cambodia-Thailand situation must go beyond de-escalating tensions.

Mohamad said that, as ASEAN Chair, Malaysia believes the regional grouping must intensify trust-building among the parties and ensure dialogue continues despite prevailing differences, noting that regional stability remains a collective responsibility.

He said ASEAN’s approach should be guided by lessons from the past, anchored in wisdom, solidarity and trust, which have enabled the region to navigate periods of upheaval.

“ASEAN must do whatever is necessary to maintain regional peace and stability. Our goal goes beyond de-escalating the tensions.

“We must intensify trust-building among the conflicting parties and provide the horizons for dialogue despite the prevailing differences,” he said in his opening remarks at the Special ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on the Current Situation between Thailand and Cambodia in the Malaysian capital.

Saddened by civilian casualties and the prolonged conflict, Mohamad said Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had tirelessly worked to facilitate an amicable solution through constant engagement with the leaders of Cambodia and Thailand.

This resulted in the July 28 ceasefire agreement and subsequent arrangements, as well as the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord signed on Oct 26, 2025, he said while urging both sides to undertake full and effective implementation of the agreements reached.

Throughout the engagement process, Mohamad said Anwar had also communicated actively with the other ASEAN leaders in order to address the situation.

He said Anwar had underscored the importance for Cambodia and Thailand to uphold the spirit of dialogue, wisdom and mutual respect in order to bring the tensions to an end and to preserve peace and stability in the region.

Additionally, he said Malaysia’s Chief of Defence Forces, through the ASEAN Observer Team (AOT)  mechanism, had also been actively engaging his counterparts from Cambodia and Thailand to monitor the situation on the ground.

Mohamad said that in a highly interconnected ASEAN, continued escalation would have wider ramifications for the people of the region and urged member states to give the matter their most urgent attention.

“In a highly interconnected ASEAN and world, a security shock is an ASEAN matter and a global concern. This is why everyone must make cessation of hostilities and peaceful resolution a top priority,” Mohamad said.

“Remember: in the eyes of the world we have grown and thrived, and in the eyes of the world we must also overcome our challenges,” he added.

Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow, and ASEAN Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn were among the attendees.

Other foreign ministers at the meeting included Sugiono of Indonesia, Thongsavanh Phomvihane (Laos), Dr Vivian Balakrishnan (Singapore), Bendito dos Santos Freitas (Timor-Leste), and Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Theresa P. Lazaro.

Brunei was represented by Foreign Minister II Datuk Erywan Pehin Yusof and  Vietnam by Deputy Foreign Minister Dang Hoang Giang, while Myanmar officials participated in the meeting virtually.

-- BERNAMA