KUALA LUMPUR: ASEAN Foreign Ministers have agreed that efforts to continue engaging with all stakeholders in Myanmar must persist to find a long-term solution to the protracted crisis in the country, which began with a military coup on Feb 1, 2021.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said that Malaysia, as ASEAN Chair, planned to visit Myanmar to formally present a ‘wishlist’ gathered from various stakeholders to the State Administration Council (SAC).
“As Chair of ASEAN, we plan to visit and talk to Myanmar because we have already met with people and different stakeholders.
“We know what the wishlist is, now we want to present to the SAC the wishlist of the stakeholders so later we will look at the feedback or response from the SAC,” he told the media here today.
Earlier, Mohamad chaired the first Informal Consultative Meeting involving the previous ASEAN Chair, Laos; the current Chair, Malaysia; and the incoming Chair, the Philippines. The meeting will later be expanded to include all ASEAN Foreign Ministers, except Myanmar.
Mohamad said the meeting also heard a report presented by the Special Envoy of the ASEAN Chair on Myanmar, Tan Sri Othman Hashim, regarding the latest developments in the country.
He said ASEAN remained committed to ensuring Myanmar adhered to the Five-Point Consensus (5PC) agreed upon by all ASEAN leaders in 2021.
“This 5PC is simple – cease all violence, initiate inclusive dialogue, allow humanitarian assistance to be delivered without hindrance, appoint an ASEAN Special Envoy, and allow the Special Envoy to meet all parties.
“However, the implementation of this consensus has faced difficulties due to a trust deficit and ethnic conflicts that have persisted for decades in Myanmar,” he said.
Mohamad added that the crisis in Myanmar was not merely an internal matter, but had also affected the stability of the ASEAN region, including issues related to refugees and cross-border crimes.
“ASEAN does not wish to interfere in Myanmar’s internal affairs, but as a large family, we have a responsibility to help. Myanmar’s problem has now become our collective issue,” he said.
Responding to a question on whether ASEAN would allow Myanmar to rejoin the bloc’s political discussions, Mohamad said the country was not banned from full participation, but was currently only invited to attend non-political meetings.
As the chair and host of ASEAN 2025, Malaysia will host the 46th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits at the KLCC from May 26 to 27.
In conjunction with the summit, two key high-level meetings - the 2nd ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit and the ASEAN-GCC-China Summit will also take place, marking an important platform for expanded regional and inter-regional cooperation.
Malaysia previously chaired ASEAN in 1977, 1997, 2005, and 2015.
