Negotiations on oil and gas development over the long-contested Overlapping Claims Area (OCA) in the Gulf of Thailand between Cambodia and Thailand will be resumed shortly after the viral pandemic ends, according to a Ministry of Mine and Energy’s official.

 

Cheap Sour, the Ministry of Mine and Energy’s director-general of the general department of petroleum said neither country had discussed the issue since a bilateral meeting last September. According to Sour, both sides agreed to negotiate at the end of 2019 but with the COVID-19 outbreak, all talks have been postponeded. However, he said that negotiations will be reopened shortly after the pandemic ends.

 

“We are waiting for a good opportunity. The Thailand side also asked for a delay because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said. “They also have a new minister who needs time to study the issue. We will just wait to hear from the Thai side and we hope that the negotiations will start as soon as possible after the end of COVID-19,” he said. During the 37th Asean ministerial meeting on energy in Bangkok in last September, Cambodia and Thailand agreed to rekindle negotiations on oil and gas development over the Overlapping Claims Area in the Gulf of Thailand.

 

read more https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50723381/talks-on-disputed-oil-fields-to-resume/

23 hours ago, geovalin said:

Cheap Sour

That's really his name? And he's negotiating the oil (and gas) development between Thailand and Cambodia? That's got to be a crude job with the prices of oil on the tank.