Cambodia has denied Thailand’s claims that it laid new landmines on the border between the two countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia informed, the Khmer Times reports.

In an official statement, the ministry strongly rejected these accusations.

The ministry noted that unexploded ordnance is still scattered in the region following the civil conflicts in Cambodia during the 1970s and 1980s, and that many minefields have not yet been cleared due to rough terrain and unresolved border delimitation issues.

Cambodia has never used new landmines and will never use them, the ministry stated, emphasizing the country’s commitment to strict compliance with the Ottawa convention on the prohibition of anti-personnel mines.