Prime Minister Dato' Seri Anwar’s active diplomatic mediation, coupled with continuous negotiations by the Malaysian Armed Forces, are seen as key factors driving Thailand and Cambodia to sign the 'Kuala Lumpur Accord' (KL Accord) during the 47th ASEAN Summit.
Malaysian Armed Forces Chief Tan Sri Mohamad Nizam said that as the rotating chair of ASEAN, Anwar played a crucial role in the process, including swift consultations with Thai and Cambodian leaders, which ultimately led to the ceasefire consensus reached on July 28.
“Without the Prime Minister’s influence and leadership, this ceasefire agreement could not have been implemented. Foreign Minister Dato’ Seri Mohamad Hasan also played a leading role in the process, including a series of meetings with the US team.”
In an interview with Bernama, he said that achieving the ceasefire agreement required immediate follow-up by the military to ensure all parties fully adhered to the agreement. Therefore, since the agreement took effect, he himself has held several meetings with his Thai and Cambodian counterparts, gradually facilitating the upcoming signing of the 'Kuala Lumpur Accord.'
He described the agreement as highly significant, ensuring both Thai and Cambodian militaries reached consensus and complied with its terms. To guarantee effective implementation, ASEAN has established the Attache Observer Team (AOT) to supervise and implement the agreement’s provisions.
“Thanks to Allah, with the good relations between our armed forces and ASEAN member militaries, they have agreed to contribute jointly to the AOT. During this crisis period, ASEAN has displayed a high degree of unity.”
Nizam hopes that the signing of the 'Kuala Lumpur Accord' will allow people living along the Thai-Cambodian border to return to normal economic activities and rebuild bilateral relations.
He said that past border conflicts not only affected diplomatic relations but also severely impacted the livelihoods of local residents.
“Since the outbreak of conflict, border crossings have been forced to close, severely affecting residents’ economies, freedom of movement, and legitimate cross-border trade activities.”
According to reports, Anwar recently revealed that he and US President Trump will jointly witness the signing of this agreement.
After the ceasefire agreement was reached on July 28, Thai and Cambodian secretariat-level meetings were held to discuss the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the temporary observer team (IOT) and AOT monitoring the ceasefire, followed by a special Border Committee meeting on August 7 at the Malaysian Armed Forces’ Wisma Perwira.