Kuala Lumpur (VNA) - At a special ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting held in Kuala Lumpur on December 22, Chair Malaysia underscored the importance of maintaining regional peace and stability, while calling on Cambodia and Thailand to fully implement agreements already signed in order to resolve the prolonged tensions along their shared border.
"This special meeting will renew our efforts for a return to stability in the affected areas. ASEAN must do whatever is necessary to maintain regional peace and stability," Malaysia's Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said in his opening remarks.
"Our goal goes beyond de-escalating the tension. We must intensify trust-building among the conflicting parties and provide the horizons for dialogue despite the prevailing differences."
The special meeting served as a follow-up to the previous agreement reached by the Malaysian Prime Minister and his Thai and Cambodian counterparts on December 11.
It will provide a platform for ASEAN foreign ministers to exchange views on the current situation between Cambodia and Thailand, said a Malaysian foreign ministry statement that was released separately on December 21.
The special meeting will also “consider possible steps” that ASEAN members “may take in support of the ongoing efforts towards de-escalation and cessation of hostilities in the interest of peace and stability in the wider region”, the statement said./.
