Page 33 - ELITE PLUS MAGAZINE VOL9

Along our historical path, Cambodians and Thais have experienced periods of very warm relations and also difficult times, which is not uncommon in the case of neighbouring countriesThe 65 years mark only official diplomatic ties; in reality, the nations and peoples have coexisted and interacted as neighbours for hundreds of years.“Along our historical path, Cambodians and Thais have experi- enced periods of very warm relations and also difficult times, which is not uncommon in the case of neighbouring countries,” said Ambassador Sophea. “With so much going on across our borders, with large movements of goods and people, there are bound to be problems and issues cropping up from time to time.”The ambassador says that recent diplomatic conflicts may have been due to the political agendas of certain groups. But the feeling among the governments and peoples in general remains cordial.“Of course, there are border issues to be settled and we canresolve the remaining problems by talking, and indeed mechanisms to resolve the border demarcation are already in place. You cannot resolve the issue by force because it is not possible and it does not do any good to either side. We are neighbours and that is a fact that we cannot change. We have to live together. We have already had cultural affinity and our economies are co-dependent and we both are part of the ASEAN family. This is a fact that we must use to promote friendship between Thailand and Cambodia.”Elite+ 31