Key facts
- Thailand has appointed two conciliators, Rüdiger Wolfrum and Albert Hoffman, for a UN arbitration process initiated by Cambodia.
- Cambodia launched the compulsory conciliation process under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
- The dispute concerns approximately 26,000 sq km of sea in the Gulf of Thailand, known as the Overlapping Claims Area.
- The Overlapping Claims Area is estimated to hold nearly 12 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and large quantities of oil, worth about $300 billion.
Thailand has appointed two conciliators, a German jurist and a South African maritime law expert, for a United Nations arbitration process initiated by Cambodia to resolve a long-running maritime dispute in the Gulf of Thailand. Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow announced the appointments on Tuesday.
Cambodia launched the compulsory conciliation process under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) earlier this month, following Thailand's unilateral termination of a 2001 agreement that had provided a framework for negotiations over the disputed territory, known as the Overlapping Claims Area.
The dispute covers approximately 26,000 square kilometers (10,000 square miles) and is estimated to contain nearly 12 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and significant quantities of oil, with a potential value of around $300 billion.
Relations between the neighboring Southeast Asian countries have been tense, particularly after border clashes last year resulted in nearly 150 deaths and displaced over 300,000 people. A ceasefire agreed upon in December remains in effect.