AKP Phnom Penh, June 02, 2026 —

The National Assembly of the Kingdom of Cambodia has expressed its full support for the Royal Government’s decision to invoke the compulsory conciliation mechanism under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to address the Overlapping Claims Area (OCA) dispute with Thailand.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the National Assembly endorsed the actions taken by the Royal Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet in officially notifying the Government of Thailand and the Secretary-General of the United Nations of Cambodia’s decision to initiate the UNCLOS compulsory conciliation procedure.

According to the statement, the move came after Thailand announced its withdrawal from the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which had served as the sole bilateral framework for negotiations on the overlapping maritime claims between the two countries for more than 25 years.

The National Assembly described compulsory conciliation as a peaceful legal mechanism under UNCLOS that requires the parties to a dispute to participate in formal proceedings before an independent commission tasked with helping resolve the matter.

Referring to the successful settlement of the maritime boundary dispute between Timor-Leste and Australia in 2018, the first case of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region, the National Assembly expressed hope that the Cambodia-Thailand dispute would become another significant example of how international law can be used to achieve peaceful, fair, and sustainable solutions.

The legislative body reaffirmed its unwavering support for the Royal Government’s commitment to resolving disputes through peaceful means, international law, and structured international dialogue recognised by both parties. It stressed that such an approach is essential to protecting Cambodia’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty while preserving peace, stability, and sustainable national development.

The National Assembly also called on the international community, development partners, and Cambodia’s international friends to closely follow the implementation of the conciliation process, expressing confidence that broad international attention would contribute to a peaceful, just, and lasting resolution while strengthening the international legal order established under the United Nations.

In addition, the National Assembly urged all Cambodians, both at home and abroad, to remain united and continue supporting the Royal Government’s efforts to resolve the dispute and safeguard the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

By C. Nika