ASEAN foreign ministers yesterday called for regional unity in addressing an intensifying conflict in Myanmar, amid doubts over the bloc’s capability to implement a two-year-old peace process that has yet to get off the ground.
The ASEAN gathering in Jakarta comes as patience wears thin among its 10 members over Myanmar’s military rulers’ refusal to halt hostilities and start inclusive dialogue, as agreed to by its top general in April 2021.
Myanmar has been beset by fighting since the military seized power in early 2021 before unleashing a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy opponents, which prompted a wave of retaliatory attacks by a resistance movement and ethnic minority armies.
Photo: AFP
ASEAN chairwoman and Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi said that she and her counterparts had discussed implementation of the “five-point consensus,” which is the only diplomatic process in play for achieving peace in Myanmar.
All members emphasized unity on the issue, she said, adding that “without cessation of violence, there would never be a conducive environment needed for the start of dialogue and the delivery of aid.”
Retno’s remarks come after a Thai-led meeting last month attended by Myanmar’s military leaders who have been barred from high-level ASEAN meetings.
Most ASEAN members shunned that meeting, which Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs Don Pramudwinai defended, saying Thailand was suffering in terms of its border, trade and refugee problems.
Indonesia is also working to launch the processs.
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