Myanmar’s foreign minister was not allowed to attend the meeting after Myanmar failed to cooperate in implementing a five-point agreement between ASEAN leaders and Myanmar’s military ruler, General Min Aung Heing, in 2021.
On Friday, a meeting of foreign ministers of Southeast Asian countries was held in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, at which the topic of the worsening situation in Myanmar was mainly overshadowed. However, the meeting’s agenda is food and energy security and cooperation in finance and health. Myanmar is a member of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). However, this time the annual meeting in Jakarta is being held without Myanmar’s Foreign Minister Wuna Maung Lwin.
Myanmar’s foreign minister was not allowed to attend the meeting after Myanmar failed to cooperate in implementing a five-point agreement between ASEAN leaders and Myanmar’s military ruler, General Min Aung Heing, in 2021. As part of the deal, Myanmar’s military leaders promised to allow the ASEAN special envoy to meet jailed leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Upon assuming the ASEAN chairmanship, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said last month that ASEAN would continue to contribute to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and underpin regional economic growth.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said in his opening remarks today that the ministerial meeting is taking place amid major global challenges, of which the Indo-Pacific region is no exception. This includes geopolitical, food, energy, financial and ecological crises, as well as competition between major powers, which could intensify and potentially destabilize the region, he added. He said: “Internally, we are facing a situation in Myanmar that is a test of our credibility. As a family, we will have candid and in-depth discussions on the implementation of the Five Point Agreement.
Disclaimer:Prabhasakshi has not edited this news. This news has been published from PTI-language feed.