ASEAN FMs meet Myanmar counterpart

At the first in-person meeting with their Myanmar counterpart since 2021, the foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations reiterated their support for advancing the five-point consensus to resolve the situation in the country.

The informal meeting on Sunday, hosted by Thailand in Bangkok, was chaired by Maria Theresa Lazaro, ASEAN's special envoy to Myanmar and foreign affairs secretary of the Philippines, this year's ASEAN chair.

"The ASEAN foreign ministers underscored the five-point consensus as the main reference in addressing the situation in the country, particularly in promoting concrete and measurable progress in the five-point consensus implementation", according to a statement issued by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday.

Myanmar Minister for Foreign Affairs Tin Maung Swe also briefed on the latest developments in the country, including the government's efforts to implement the action points relevant to the five-point consensus, the government's 100-day peace plan, and measures to address transnational crimes, among others, the statement said.

ASEAN proposed the five-point consensus peace plan in April 2021 after the Myanmar military took control of the country in February that year.

It focuses on the cessation of violence, constructive dialogue, mediation by an ASEAN special envoy, humanitarian assistance, and an official visit by the envoy to Myanmar.

"In my capacity as a special envoy of the (ASEAN) chair to Myanmar, it has always been a basic document," Lazaro told reporters at a news conference after the meeting on Sunday, adding the discussion point is the five-point consensus.

'Calibrated reengagement'

Also at the news conference, Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Thailand's deputy prime minister and foreign minister, said the country supports the approach of "calibrated reengagement" between ASEAN and Myanmar.

Vietnamese Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung said at the meeting that ASEAN should take more concrete and practical steps, with priority given to maintaining direct and regular engagement and dialogue with Myanmar to stay updated on developments and facilitate tangible progress, according to the Viet Nam News.

Just before the informal meeting, Myanmar's parliament passed a motion to reject the five-point consensus on July 9, saying the initiative was irrelevant and interfered with Myanmar's national sovereignty.

During the meeting, Myanmar's foreign minister told his ASEAN counterparts that the government has a responsibility to implement parliament's decisions, and it is important to have a thorough understanding of Myanmar's complex political situation.

He said Myanmar looks forward to restoring its full and equal participation in ASEAN and will continue to cooperate with ASEAN as much as possible, according to the ministry's statement.

"The parliamentarians are entitled to their opinion, but what I am stating for the record is that ASEAN's position is that the five-point consensus was and is a consensus and (it) applies," Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan told reporters after the meeting.

Balakrishnan said all members now seek tangible progress in three areas, namely, ending violence, releasing all political detainees, and enabling the delivery of humanitarian assistance from the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management.

Following the meeting, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said Lazaro, as the ASEAN chair's special envoy to Myanmar, will lead a humanitarian mission to the country by the end of this year.