JakartaPost-July 13, 2023
Finding unity over how to deal with Myanmar’s junta continued to evade Southeast Asian nations on Thursday, as foreign ministers meeting in Jakarta struggled to agree on a communique that would include a reference to their neighbor’s internal strife. Gathered in Jakarta for their annual meeting, foreign ministers from the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) had been expected to issue a joint communique on Wednesday, but by late afternoon on Thursday there was still no sign of it. The cause of the delay was unclear but an ASEAN official said a communique was being finalized and would be released soon. ASEAN, which includes Myanmar among its 10 members, has pushed, without success, for the implementation of a five-point peace plan agreed with the junta shortly after a coup in early 2021. No Myanmar representatives were present in this week’s meeting. Junta officials have been barred from high-level ASEAN meetings due to the lack of progress on the plan, which calls for a halt to violence and talks between the military and its pro-democracy opponents. The inability to exert more influence over the junta has fed long-held doubts about ASEAN’s effectiveness as a regional political bloc. ASEAN chair Indonesia on Wednesday urged the group’s foreign ministers to remain united in tackling the escalating violence in Myanmar. Malaysia, a vocal critic of the junta, urged ASEAN to strongly condemn the junta’s actions, including violence. “I pressed for a stronger statement on this issue to be included in the joint communique of the ASEAN ministerial meeting,” Foreign Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir said in a statement late on Wednesday. Several Southeast Asian nations have passed through periods of military rule, and avoiding criticism of fellow members has been a hallmark of ASEAN’s diplomacy for years, though Myanmar has tested patience more than most. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/world/2023/07/13/asean-struggles-for-unity-on-myanmar-conflict.html.
