Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet has formally nominated Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, citing the president’s “visionary and innovative diplomacy” in helping broker a ceasefire in last month’s deadly border clashes between Cambodia and Thailand.
In a letter addressed to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Hun Manet credited Trump with playing a decisive role in halting hostilities that killed at least 43 people over five days, in the worst cross-border combat between the two Southeast Asian nations in more than a decade.
“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,” the letter stated.
According to the Cambodian leader, Trump’s phone calls to both governments were pivotal in achieving a truce. The ceasefire, reached last week, also came after mediation efforts by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who currently chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and a delegation of Chinese negotiators.
Hun Manet praised the timing of the U.S. intervention, saying it prevented a potential escalation of the territorial dispute, which had rapidly spiraled into open combat.
“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,” he wrote.
While the Norwegian Nobel Committee does not publish the list of nominees, tens of thousands of individuals are eligible to submit nominations, including government officials, lawmakers, professors, and former laureates. The nomination deadline is January 31, with the final award announcement typically made in October.
Trump, who has often touted his record as a global peace broker, has previously received Nobel nominations from the governments of Pakistan and Israel. Mentions of the prestigious award have increasingly become a diplomatic gesture of goodwill among foreign leaders aligned with Trump or seeking stronger ties with the United States.
At the time of the ceasefire, both Cambodia and Thailand were grappling with the threat of steep U.S. tariffs on their exports. Trump had initially threatened to impose 36 percent tariffs, but after the resolution of the conflict, both countries secured reduced levies of 19 percent, a move seen as part of the broader de-escalation effort.
The conflict and its resolution came at a politically and economically sensitive time for both nations, further underscoring the significance of the intervention. For now, the ceasefire remains in place, with both countries reportedly committed to continuing dialogue under regional and international supervision.
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