Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has officially nominated US President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, crediting him with playing a decisive role in halting the recent deadly border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand.
In a Facebook post late Thursday, Hun Manet revealed that he had submitted a formal letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, praising Trump’s “extraordinary statesmanship” and his efforts in “defusing one of Southeast Asia’s most dangerous flashpoints.”
The Cambodian leader said Trump’s intervention was instrumental in securing a ceasefire after five days of escalating violence, which claimed 43 lives and displaced over 300,000 people. The fighting, which erupted along a contested stretch of the Cambodia–Thailand border, rapidly intensified from small arms fire to heavy artillery shelling and air strikes, including a Thai F-16 sortie.
According to reports, it was a July 26 phone call by Trump to both Cambodian and Thai leaders that broke the diplomatic stalemate. That call paved the way for ceasefire talks in Malaysia, culminating in a formal agreement on July 28. The two sides agreed Thursday to keep the peace and allow Southeast Asian observers to monitor the situation.
Hun Manet, in his letter, described the intervention as one of Trump’s “exceptional achievements in de-escalating tensions in some of the world’s most volatile regions,” adding that it helped “prevent a great loss of lives and paved the way for renewed dialogue.”
Trump’s nomination had been anticipated after Cambodia’s deputy prime minister announced plans to put forward the US president’s name last week. The Cambodian government had also expressed gratitude over Washington’s recent decision to lower import tariffs on Cambodian goods, from a threatened 49% to 19%, a move officials say helped shield the country’s crucial garment industry from collapse.
This is the latest in a growing number of Nobel Peace Prize nominations for Trump. In June, Pakistan said it would nominate him for mediating tensions with India, and last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said he had formally nominated the US president for his role in securing regional peace deals.
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