Cambodia has formally nominated former US President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, joining Pakistan and Israel in recognising what it called his “historic contributions in advancing world peace.”
In a letter sent Thursday to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet praised Trump’s “visionary and innovative diplomacy,” which he credited with helping end violent border clashes between Cambodia and Thailand last month.
“President Trump’s extraordinary statesmanship marked by his commitment to resolving conflicts and preventing catastrophic wars through visionary and innovative diplomacy was most recently demonstrated by his decisive role in brokering an immediate and unconditional ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand,” Hun Manet wrote.
The deadly conflict, sparked by a territorial dispute, lasted five days and left at least 43 people dead. What began with small arms fire escalated rapidly into heavy artillery exchanges, rocket fire, and an F-16 fighter jet strike by Thailand. The fighting displaced more than 300,000 people.
A phone call from Trump on July 26 to the leaders of both countries that broke the diplomatic impasse. The breakthrough led to a ceasefire two days later, brokered in Malaysia with assistance from ASEAN chair and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and a Chinese delegation.
“This timely intervention, which averted a potentially devastating conflict, was vital in preventing great loss of lives and paved the way towards the restoration of peace,” Hun Manet added.
The Cambodian nomination had been anticipated after the country’s deputy prime minister thanked Trump last week for reducing a US tariff on Cambodian imports from a threatened 49 percent to 19 percent. He said the tariff reduction helped protect Cambodia’s vital garment manufacturing sector from collapse.
Though the Nobel Committee does not release its list of nominees, the nomination process remains open to tens of thousands of eligible individuals, including lawmakers, ministers, university professors, and former laureates. Candidates are selected by January 31 each year, with the winner typically announced in October.
