Kuala Lumpur [Malaysia], October 26 : Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Sunday expressed his gratitude to US President Donald Trump for his "decisive leadership and steadfast commitment" in supporting lasting peace between Cambodia and Thailand.
"On behalf of the Cambodian people, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to President Donald Trump for his decisive leadership and steadfast commitment to supporting the lasting peace between Cambodia and Thailand, and for his tireless efforts to make it a reality," he told Trump during the signing ceremony.
The ceremony on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur marked the signing of an expansion of a ceasefire that Trump had helped negotiate earlier, aimed at ending the border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand.
Speaking ahead of the signing, Trump called the day "momentous" and said, "This is so exciting because we did something that a lot of people said couldn't be done. And we saved maybe millions of lives on this one piece deal itself. And I'll tell you what makes me so happy is the two countries we're dealing with and the third that helped so much, I appreciate so much. Maybe it couldn't have been done without you, but they really like each other. I'm not used to that. When I do these deals. Usually there's a lot of hatred. They liked each other, so it made it a little bit easier. But millions of people are alive today because of this peace treaty."
He added, "This is a momentous day for all of the people of Southeast Asia as we sign a historic agreement to end the military conflict between Cambodia and Thailand."
The US President watched as Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul signed the deal. Hun Manet called it a "historic day," while Anutin Charnvirakul said the agreement establishes "the building blocks for a lasting peace."
Under the accord, Thailand released 18 Cambodian soldiers who had been in custody. Both nations also began removing heavy weaponry from the disputed 800-kilometre (500-mile) border, a region that has experienced intermittent confrontations over the decades.
Alongside the ceasefire, Trump also signed trade agreements with Cambodia and Malaysia, as well as a critical minerals deal with Thailand. The signing was his first official engagement since arriving at the ASEAN Summit.
Trump's regional visit is set to continue with stops in Japan and South Korea, and may include a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
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