ISTANBUL 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed concern Thursday over ongoing "violence" between Cambodia and Thailand during a phone call with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet.

Rubio reiterated US President Donald Trump's "desire for peace and the need to fully implement the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords," said the State Department.

The two countries signed a peace agreement in October at the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in the presence of Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, but it was suspended after Thai soldiers were seriously injured in a landmine explosion in a border province.

"Secretary Rubio further reaffirmed that the United States is prepared to facilitate discussions to ensure peace and stability between Cambodia and Thailand," the statement added.

Hun Manet said on Telegram that he and Rubio had discussed the developments regarding a ceasefire and the implementation of the peace deal with Thailand.

He stressed Cambodia's "firm commitment” to the Bangkok-Phnom Penh agreement and expressed hope for bilateral efforts to settle border disputes and achieve lasting peace.

The call came after Thailand and Cambodia held their first military talks Wednesday in Thailand's Chanthaburi province amid fresh fighting, with the overall death toll on both sides reaching 96 since clashes resumed on Dec. 8, a day after a border skirmish wounded two Thai soldiers.

The meeting, which reportedly lasted less than an hour, marked the first military talks since renewed clashes began. The two sides will continue military negotiations on Friday.

Thai authorities said 23 Thai soldiers and one civilian were killed in the fighting, adding that 41 other civilians died as "collateral effects." Cambodia's Interior Ministry said 31 Cambodian civilians were killed.

Nearly a million people have been displaced on both sides since the renewed clashes began.