Cambodia and Thailand’s most recent Regional Border Committee (RBC) meeting ended without a joint agreement after delegates failed to find common ground on contentious border matters, reflecting continuing tensions despite broader diplomatic efforts to stabilise relations.

The special session of the RBC between the Cambodian Military Region 5 and the Thai First Army Area was held near the Poipet international border checkpoint in late January and early February.

Discussions focused on implementing prior border agreements reached through the General Border Committee (GBC) process, particularly the December 27 joint statement, and on technical and procedural preparations for future deliberations.

However, a joint conclusion could not be finalised after Phnom Penh raised boundary-related issues that lie outside the scope of the GBC framework, prompting disagreement and halting progress toward a memorandum of understanding.

Officials framed the outcome as a temporary impasse, with both sides agreeing to return to further negotiations and document exchanges at their respective headquarters until a consensus can be reached.

The deadlock comes against a backdrop of renewed border tensions that have flared intermittently since last year’s clashes and ceasefires, and underline the difficulty of reconciling divergent positions within existing bilateral mechanisms.

Despite this setback, both governments continue to reaffirm their commitment to peaceful dialogue and use of established border committees and technical subgroups as avenues to address disagreements and sustain stability along the frontier, with additional meetings anticipated in the months ahead as part of efforts to uphold peace and security between the neighbouring states.