Phnom Penh: Cambodian Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Kong Phok has stressed that Cambodia can only rely on international law after the Thai side withdrew from the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU 2001) on the Cambodia-Thailand maritime claim area.
On April 23, 2026, the Thai National Security Council decided to withdraw from the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU 2001) regarding the overlapping area in the high seas connecting Cambodia and Thailand.
In a special interview on “Cambodia’s position in the event that the Thai side decides to unilaterally terminate the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU 2001) Regarding the Cambodia-Thailand maritime claims, Mr. Kong Phok said that Cambodia has always prioritized bilateral mechanisms in accordance with the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding, while over the past 25 years, the MoU has played an important role for the parties to resolve overlapping maritime claims.
He said that the unilateral withdrawal of the Thai side from the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding is an abandonment of the only bilateral agreement that created a bilateral framework that both sides have relied on and used for more than two decades.
The Secretary of State emphasized that “in the event that the Thai side withdraws from the 2001 MoU, as a state that respects and adheres to international law and the peaceful resolution of disputes, Cambodia has no choice but to rely on international law and UN conventions. “On the Law of the Sea, especially the mechanism of forced conciliation.”
Mr. Kong Phok explained that the mechanism of forced conciliation was established by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to assist States Parties in resolving disputes peacefully and in accordance with international law.
