Cambodia proposes interim joint resource development in maritime dispute

Cambodia said it was prepared to negotiate an interim agreement with Thailand to jointly develop offshore resources without waiting for a final maritime boundary settlement, as the two countries opened their first UNCLOS conciliation meeting in Singapore on Tuesday.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said Phnom Penh ultimately wanted a treaty establishing a single maritime boundary. If the two sides failed to reach agreements on delimitation or joint development, Cambodia would ask the conciliation commission to issue recommendations for a future settlement.

Thailand did not explicitly endorse the joint-development proposal. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said Bangkok wanted a fair negotiated boundary and had previously proposed six months of direct talks, followed by mediation if no agreement was reached.

The dispute dates to competing continental-shelf claims issued by Cambodia in 1972 and Thailand in 1973. The claims overlap across about 26,000 square kilometres in the Gulf of Thailand, an area believed to contain substantial oil and natural gas reserves.

The two governments signed the 2001 MOU, known in Thailand as MOU 44, to create a negotiating framework. It linked maritime delimitation north of latitude 11°N with possible joint resource development to the south as an indivisible package, without either side surrendering its claim. The framework produced only a handful of meetings and no agreement over the following 25 years.

The issue became increasingly politicised following deadly land-border fighting in 2025. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Bhumjaithai campaigned on cancelling the MOU, arguing that it had failed and raised sovereignty concerns. Cambodia ratified UNCLOS on February 6, 2026, gaining access to the convention’s compulsory conciliation mechanism.

The Thai cabinet terminated the MOU on May 5. Thailand said it wanted to restart talks under UNCLOS principles, while Cambodia said the decision had closed the existing bilateral route. Phnom Penh announced the following day that it would seek compulsory conciliation and formally initiated the process later that month. Thailand initially criticised the move but agreed to participate and appointed two conciliators in June.

Sihasak said the proceedings were limited to maritime delimitation in the Gulf of Thailand and did not concern sovereignty over Koh Kood or any other land territory. He reaffirmed Thailand’s claim under its 1973 royal proclamation and rejected Cambodia’s 1972 continental-shelf claim as having no legal basis.

The two sides also disputed responsibility for the breakdown in negotiations. Cambodia said Thailand’s unilateral termination of the MOU forced it to seek conciliation. Thailand said the framework had failed to produce tangible progress and accused Cambodia of rejecting an offer to restart direct talks.

The commission cannot impose a settlement. Its conclusions and recommendations are non-binding, leaving the two countries to negotiate any maritime-boundary treaty or joint-development agreement themselves. Both sides said they would participate constructively and seek a peaceful resolution.

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柬埔寨表示，已准备好与泰国就共同开发近海资源达成临时协议，无需等待最终的海洋边界问题解决。此前，两国于周二在新加坡举行了首次《联合国海洋法公约》调解会议。

柬埔寨外交部长布拉索昆表示，金边最终希望达成一项确立统一海上边界的条约。如果双方未能就划界或联合开发达成协议，柬埔寨将请求调解委员会就未来的解决方案提出建议。

泰国并未明确支持联合开发方案。副总理兼外交部长西哈萨·普昂克乔表示，曼谷希望通过谈判达成公平的边界协议，此前曾提议进行为期六个月的直接谈判，如果未能达成协议，则由各方进行调解。

这场争端源于柬埔寨于 1972 年和泰国于 1973 年提出的相互竞争的大陆架主张。这些主张在泰国湾约 26,000 平方公里的海域重叠，该区域被认为蕴藏着大量的石油和天然气储量。

两国政府于2001年签署了谅解备忘录（在泰国被称为MOU 44），旨在建立一个谈判框架。该备忘录将北纬11°以北的海域划界与南纬11°以南可能的联合资源开发捆绑在一起，构成一个不可分割的整体，双方均不放弃各自的主张。然而，在接下来的25年中，该框架仅促成了寥寥几次会谈，并未达成任何协议。

2025年爆发致命的陆地边界冲突后，该问题日益政治化。柬埔寨总理阿努廷·查恩维拉库尔和泰自豪党发起运动，要求取消谅解备忘录，理由是该备忘录已经失败，并引发了主权方面的担忧。柬埔寨于2026年2月6日批准了《联合国海洋法公约》，从而获得了该公约强制调解机制的适用资格。

泰国内阁于5月5日终止了谅解备忘录。泰国表示希望在《联合国海洋法公约》原则下重启谈判，而柬埔寨则表示该决定关闭了现有的双边途径。金边于次日宣布将寻求强制调解，并于当月晚些时候正式启动了这一程序。泰国最初批评了这一举动，但最终同意参与，并在6月任命了两名调解员。

西哈萨克表示，此次听证会仅限于泰国湾的海域划界，并不涉及阁骨岛或其他任何陆地领土的主权问题。他重申了泰国依据1973年皇家法令提出的主权声索，并驳斥了柬埔寨1972年提出的大陆架主权声索，称其缺乏法律依据。

双方还就谈判破裂的责任归属问题争执不下。柬埔寨称，泰国单方面终止谅解备忘录迫使其寻求调解。泰国则表示，该框架未能取得实质性进展，并指责柬埔寨拒绝了重启直接对话的提议。

委员会不能强加解决方案。其结论和建议不具约束力，两国仍需自行谈判任何海洋边界条约或联合开发协议。双方均表示将建设性地参与谈判，寻求和平解决。

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