Cambodia, Thailand to mull over border issue in Malaysia next week

PHNOM PENH/BANGKOK, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has welcomed Thailand's proposal to hold talks on border issue in Malaysia next week, a Cambodian defense ministry spokesperson said on Friday.

"I would like to take this opportunity to confirm that Cambodia welcomes Thailand's proposal to hold a meeting of the General Border Committee (GBC) in Kuala Lumpur," Cambodian Defense Ministry's Undersecretary of State and spokesperson Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata said at a press briefing.

"We're very confident that this meeting will be constructive and yield fruitful outcomes," she said.

According to Socheata, Cambodia's Defense Minister Tea Seiha and Thailand's Deputy Defense Minister Nattaphon Narkphanit will attend the upcoming meeting.

The office of the spokesperson of Thailand's Ministry of Defense said Thursday on social media that Deputy Minister of Defense Nattaphon Narkphanit had officially responded to "Cambodia's invitation" for a special GBC meeting.

In his reply, Nattaphon welcomed the opportunity to join the meeting and emphasized a shared commitment to reduce tensions and resolve border security issues in a peaceful and constructive manner.

On July 24, armed clashes broke out between soldiers of Cambodia and Thailand along disputed border. The two countries agreed on a ceasefire on July 28, taking effect at the midnight of July 28. Enditem