Thailand cancels 25-year old agreement with Cambodia for joint energy exploration
Thailand has canceled a 25-year old?agreement? with Cambodia that was meant to promote joint offshore energy exploration, Thailand's Premier said. He refused to heed the calls of its neighbor to continue the agreement.
It was long expected that the Thai cabinet would cancel the 2001 agreement, which sought to create a framework for jointly exploring hydrocarbons where Thailand and Cambodia's claims overlapped in the Gulf of Thailand. This cancellation follows two rounds of conflict between the countries last year. The withdrawal was a pledge made by?Thai Premier Anutin Charnvirakul during his election campaign. He rode the wave of nationalism that was stoked earlier this year by the fierce fighting between Cambodia and Thailand to become the country's first reelected premier in 20 years.
The cancellation of the deal is part of my policies, and not related to border conflicts with Cambodia. Anutin said that it has been 25 years since there was any progress. He added that Cambodia would be informed of the decision.
The government of Cambodia did not immediately respond to an inquiry for comment regarding Tuesday's announcement.
Phnom Penh has recently called Thailand's unilateral withdrawal from the Memorandum of Understanding 44 agreement "deeply regrettable". It added that it remains "firmly and consistently" committed to it.
MOU 44, despite multiple meetings, has not made much progress since its signing. The process was derailed by the political instability in Thailand and intermittent disputes between neighbouring countries.
The two-track deal proposed a?framework to allow offshore oil exploration in overlapping areas to take place while parallel negotiating takes place on formal demarcation.
Thai officials said that they will rely on the terms of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) for future negotiations. Since late December, a 'ceasefire' has been established between Thailand and Cambodia after two outbreaks of fighting along large portions?of their border (817 km/508 miles). The first erupting after the intervention of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Both sides blame the other for the two rounds of clashes that resulted in close to 150 deaths and hundreds of thousands being displaced.
(source: Reuters)
