PHNOM PENH, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has expressed deep regret if Thailand decides to unilaterally withdraw from the maritime memorandum of understanding (MoU).
In a statement dated Friday and released to the media on Saturday, Cambodia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said Cambodia and Thailand signed the MoU regarding the Area of their Overlapping Maritime Claims to the Continental Shelf in 2001 (MoU-2001).
It is deeply regrettable if Thailand decides to unilaterally withdraw from the MoU-2001, the statement said.
It added that more than a technical arrangement, the MoU-2001 reflected the genuine will and common interest of both countries to pursue, in good faith, a mutually acceptable framework for the joint exploitation of resources in the overlapping claims area, while simultaneously advancing maritime boundary delimitation in accordance with international law.
Thailand's unilateral withdrawal from the MoU-2001 will be a step departing from the cooperative spirit underpinning the signing of this document, the statement said.
Cambodia, for its part, remains firmly and consistently committed to both the letter and the spirit of the MoU-2001, as well as to the goodwill and good faith that guided its conclusion in 2001.
The statement came after Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul revealed on Thursday that the National Security Council has confirmed the abolition of a maritime MoU on the issue of overlapping sea areas signed with Cambodia during the tenure of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
The cabinet will review the relevant decision as soon as possible, Anutin noted.
The resolutions of the National Security Council shall be submitted to the Thai cabinet for approval before they come into effect.
Thadawut Thatpitakkul, chief of staff of the Royal Thai Navy, told reporters that the reason for the abolition was that the MoU had been in use for many years but had made no progress.
Since Cambodia has now joined the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, he said, Thailand and Cambodia can negotiate within the framework of the convention. ■
