LANGKAWI: ASEAN foreign ministers have advised Myanmar to give priority to ending the violence in the country than holding an election.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said they felt that there is also an urgency for Myanmar to fulfil the Five-Point Consensus (5PC) adopted by ASEAN.
“One thing we know is that they (Myanmar) want to hold elections, but we told them elections are not a priority at the moment,” he told a press conference after the conclusion of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ (AMM) Retreat here today.
Myanmar was represented at the meeting by its Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Aung Kyaw Moe.
It was reported in December last year that a top diplomat of Myanmar’s ruling junta briefed neighbouring countries on its plans to hold an election in 2025.
Mohamad also said that even if an election was held, it should be inclusive instead of being held “in isolation” among certain segments of the society.
The 5PC calls for an immediate end of violence, dialogue among all parties, the appointment of a special envoy, allowing humanitarian assistance by ASEAN, and allowing an ASEAN special envoy to visit Myanmar to meet with all parties.
On the 5PC, Mohamad said the ASEAN ministers reaffirmed the guideline and the ASEAN Leaders’ decision thereof as the main reference to address the situation in the country, and called on Myanmar to implement it.
He stated that the ministers expressed the need to continue efforts to achieve an inclusive and durable peaceful resolution in Myanmar that will contribute to peace, security and stability in the region.
“Therefore, we called on all parties to cease hostilities immediately, prioritise humanitarian access, and foster an environment for inclusive dialogue,” he said.
Mohamad also said that the foreign ministers expressed support for the appointment of former Malaysian Foreign Ministry secretary-general Tan Sri Othman Hashim as the Special Envoy of the ASEAN Chair on Myanmar.
He said Othman is the right person to engage with Myanmar and other ASEAN counterparts in view of his vast experience.
“Dialogue and diplomacy are very important and that’s why Tan Sri Othman Hashim, as our Special Envoy on Myanmar, can fulfil (the task) and just talk to each individual segment in Myanmar, so we want to know what they have in mind.
“Not knowing what they have in mind, it is very difficult. So, we cannot simply impose it (5PC) on them. We also want to know what they have in mind,” he said.
Othman had served in several countries including Romania, Switzerland and China. He served as Malaysia’s Ambassador to the Czech Republic, as Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Ambassador to the United States.
Othman was also accredited to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and headed the Malaysian delegations to the regular sessions of the UNHRC between 2009 and 2012.
The Myanmar issue centres on the ongoing political and humanitarian crisis following the 2021 military coup, which has strained ASEAN’s unity and challenged its principles of non-interference and consensus in addressing regional stability and human rights.
As for Malaysia’s ASEAN chairmanship this year, all eyes are on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s administration, with anticipation mounting over how the country will assume a greater role in driving regional progress.
The two-day AMM Retreat, which concluded today, is the first major meeting under Malaysia’s chairmanship of ASEAN in 2025, setting the stage for a busy and significant year ahead.
Malaysia has previously chaired ASEAN in 1977, 1997, 2005, and 2015.
