Key facts
- Thailand welcomes US engagement with Myanmar, seeing it as a way to encourage peaceful conflict resolution.
- US and Myanmar's military-backed government held talks in Tokyo two weeks ago, their second meeting in a month.
- Thailand and Cambodia could resolve their land and maritime boundary disputes within 12 to 18 months.
- The maritime dispute between Thailand and Cambodia centers on overlapping claims to about 26,000 sq km in the Gulf of Thailand, believed to hold oil and gas reserves worth around $300 billion.
Thailand's Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow stated on Friday that the country welcomes the United States' engagement with Myanmar, viewing it as a means to encourage peaceful conflict resolution and reconciliation with the opposition. He anticipates discussions at the upcoming ASEAN summit in Manila regarding Myanmar's future representation within the bloc, from which it has been barred since the 2021 coup. The US and Myanmar's military-backed government have recently increased their dialogue, holding two meetings in the past month. Phuangketkeow also indicated that Thailand and Cambodia are aiming to resolve their long-standing land and maritime boundary disputes within the next 12 to 18 months, though progress has been limited. The maritime dispute involves overlapping claims in the Gulf of Thailand, estimated to contain significant oil and gas reserves. Additionally, Thailand-EU free-trade talks are nearing conclusion.