On Sunday, the prime ministers of Cambodia and Thailand signed a historic peace accord that brought an end to their recent military clash. The accord was facilitated with direct intervention by the United States and was signed on the sidelines of the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur.
US President Donald Trump, who signed the ceasefire accord jointly, officiated at the signing ceremony and celebrated the diplomatic achievement as a “momentous day for all of the people of Southeast Asia.”
Deal Follows Brief but Intense Conflict
The peace deal seeks to officially end fighting and create a structure for permanent stability in the border area. The war is about the land in the 800-kilometre border area, which has been in dispute for decades. Though earlier skirmishes were few, the area had a short but fierce five-day battle in July, which left dozens of people dead and hundreds of thousands displaced.
Major features of the deal are:
Prisoner Release: Thailand promised to free 18 Cambodian soldiers who were in custody.
De-escalation: Both countries pledged to initiate the process of dismantling heavy weapons from the border.
Trump Used Tariff Threat to Broker Peace
The statement was made as President Trump finished the first part of his Asian tour, which underscored the United States’ active role in regional diplomacy.
One key to reaching the accord was President Trump’s economic leverage. Trump reportedly employed the threat of increased tariffs on both Cambodia and Thailand to coerce them into halting the combat.
The US President would proceed with his agenda of diplomacy by signing a significant minerals accord with Malaysia in the rest of the ASEAN summit, said a White House official.
ALSO READ | Devtal Lake, Chamoli Freezes In October At -10 Degrees Celsius; A Red Flag For Climate Change In Himalayas
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: ZEE News
