ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday congratulated Cambodia and Thailand on signing a peace accord that expanded their earlier ceasefire, praising United States President Donald Trump’s “instrumental role” in brokering peace between the two sides.
Trump used the threat of higher tariffs against both countries to help get them to agree to end the fighting this summer that resulted in dozens of deaths and the displacement of hundreds of thousands. The US president watched on Sunday as the prime ministers of Cambodia and Thailand signed the expanded ceasefire accord at the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which both nations are members.
The agreement calls for Thailand to release 18 Cambodian soldiers held as prisoners and for both sides to begin withdrawing heavy weapons from the border area — a stretch of the 800-kilometer frontier that has been disputed for decades.
“I congratulate the leadership and people of Cambodia and Thailand on the signing of the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord,” Sharif wrote in a post on X.
“My deep appreciation to President Donald Trump for his instrumental role in advancing peace through the KL Accord, the Gaza Peace Plan, and his resolute efforts for peace and stability in the Middle East and South Asia — saving millions of lives across the globe.”
The Pakistani prime minister described it as “another historic day for peace and diplomacy,” commending Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for his “tireless” pursuit of peace in the region.
Trump has positioned himself as a global advocate for peace by pursuing diplomatic resolutions on long-standing conflicts across regions. He has supported several peace initiatives, including the ceasefire in Gaza and also brokered a ceasefire between nuclear-armed Pakistan and India.
In August this year, Trump brokered another peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia at the White House, which saw both leaders nominate the US president for the Nobel Prize.
