He said the agreement was reached after a telephone conversation yesterday evening with Thailand’s acting prime minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, and Cambodian prime minister Hun Manet.

He said “I’m grateful because when I spoke with them, both responded respectfully,” and the two leaders asked for more time to pull back their troops already stationed at the border.

Malaysia is the current chairman of the Asean regional grouping, of which Thailand and Cambodia are members.

Reuters reported that Hun Manet said he had supported the Malaysian proposal for a ceasefire but the Thai foreign ministry said Thailand rejected mediation efforts by third countries and insisted that the situation be resolved only through bilateral talks.

“The key to resolving the current armed conflict between Thailand and Cambodia is the genuine willingness of the Thai side to accept a ceasefire,” the Cambodian premier said in a Facebook post, Reuters reported.

Anwar said Malaysia is not taking lightly the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia and its impact on Malaysia. He said Malaysia must learn from the experiences of its neighbours.

“We must remain vigilant as the Asean region is geopolitically very strategic. We in Malaysia do not take it lightly even though the situation in our country is stable and calm; we learn from the experiences of our neighbouring countries,” he told reporters in Alor Setar.

At least 16 people, most of them Thai civilians, have died so far in the heaviest fighting between the two countries in over a decade.

Thai and Cambodian troops clashed on Thursday in the disputed border area, with both sides blaming each other for initiating the latest confrontation. Tensions have been escalating since May 28, following a deadly incident in the Preah Vihear area that claimed the life of a Cambodian soldier.

The two countries have been at odds for decades over their still-undemarcated 817km border, and the dispute continues to strain diplomatic relations.