AKP Singapore, September 14, 2026 --

Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister H.E. Prak Sokhonn, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in his capacity as Cambodia’s Agent, led the Cambodian delegation and legal team to attend the first meeting of the Conciliation Commission under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) between Cambodia and Thailand in Singapore on Monday afternoon.

The first meeting was chaired by Ms. Katrina Cooper, President of the Conciliation Commission, with the participation of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) as Registry. The Thai delegation was led by H.E. Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, in his capacity as Thailand’s Agent.

The UNCLOS conciliation process was initiated following Thailand’s decision on May 5, 2026 to unilaterally cancel the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Royal Government of Cambodia and the Royal Thai Government regarding the Area of their Overlapping Maritime Claims to the Continental Shelf, despite repeated requests from Cambodia for Thailand to reconsider the decision.

Thailand’s unilateral cancellation of the 2001 MoU brought to an end the sole bilateral framework for negotiations between Cambodia and Thailand on their overlapping maritime claims. Consequently, the Royal Government of Cambodia, under the leadership of Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, decided to invoke the compulsory conciliation mechanism under UNCLOS, to which both Cambodia and Thailand are States Parties.

The choice of compulsory conciliation does not mean an escalation of tensions or an abandonment of negotiations, but rather brings the negotiations into a structured, rules-based international framework, with independent international conciliators assisting both parties in seeking a peaceful resolution.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the opening statements by Cambodia and Thailand at the first meeting of the Conciliation Commission will be open to the public and webcast live in Khmer, English and Thai, as well as broadcast on Cambodia’s national television.

H.E. Prak Sokhonn, in his capacity as Cambodia’s Agent, will deliver Cambodia’s opening statement at 8:00 a.m. Cambodia time on Sept.15, 2026.

By C. Nika