PHNOM PENH – Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, President of the Senate, has firmly stated that the 1991 Paris Peace Agreements (PPA) cannot be applied as a framework to resolve the ongoing border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand.
Speaking on the morning of October 24, 2025, at the 4th Session of the Fifth Legislature of the Senate at the Senate Palace, Samdech Techo Hun Sen clarified that the essential tenets of the Paris Peace Agreements have already been incorporated into Cambodia’s Constitution.
Impossibility of Application
The Senate President challenged those who suggest invoking the PPA for the current border issue, questioning whether they have thoroughly reviewed all provisions of the accords.
He emphasized that even if the invocation of the PPA were proposed, it would be practically impossible because the co-chairs of the original conference—France and Indonesia—along with the other signatory countries, would not agree to its application in this context. He noted that Cambodia and Thailand, both PPA signatories, are currently engaged in a dispute where each accuses the other of violating sovereignty.
Focus on ICJ and Forthcoming Agreement
According to Samdech Techo Hun Sen, the border issue has already been addressed by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Furthermore, he highlighted that both countries are currently in the process of finalizing a separate peace agreement, which is expected to be signed on October 26, 2025, and does not rely on the Paris Peace Agreements.
The Agreements on a Comprehensive Political Settlement of the Cambodian Conflict—the Paris Peace Agreements—were originally signed on October 23, 1991, with the participation of 18 international witnesses, including the then UN Secretary-General.