On 30 April 2026, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized a briefing on “Legal Aspects of the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Thailand and Cambodia.“ Mr. Benjamin Sukanjanajtee, Director-General of the Department of Treaties and Legal Affairs, Mr. Angkura Kulvanij and Mr. Rutchabhoom Boonrawd, Deputy Directors-General, provided information about the Memorandum of Understanding between the Royal Thai Government and the Royal Government of Cambodia regarding the Area of their Overlapping Maritime Claims to the Continental Shelf (MOU 2001), relevant international law and Thailand’s future courses of action. The event was attended by participants from diverse fields, including the media, academics, experts and practitioners on the issue. They engaged in candid and extensive discussions on various aspects of the topic, encompassing background and implementation of the MOU 2001, applicable international law, the current status of the overlapping continental shelf claims, and possible approaches to resolve the issue.

The Briefing aimed to enhance understanding of Thailand’s next steps in relation to Thailand-Cambodia overlapping maritime claims, particularly in the current context in which Thailand and Cambodia have already become parties to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This has provided an opportunity to establish a new negotiation framework based on internationally accepted rules. Even without the MOU 2001, Thailand remains committed to engaging in bilateral negotiations with Cambodia to resolve maritime boundary issues on the basis of relevant international law to achieve equitable outcomes while fully safeguarding its national interests.

The Ministry underlines its commitment to negotiating maritime delimitation with Cambodia on the basis of international law, as it has consistently done in negotiations with other countries. All actions in this regard will be undertaken in accordance with relevant domestic procedures with the highest level of transparency and professionalism, based firmly on the best interest of the country and its people.