Irrawaddy-Jan 29
A senior Myanmar official met Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers in Laos on Monday, becoming the junta-ruled country’s first representative to attend a high-level meeting of the regional bloc in more than two years. The Myanmar military seized power in a coup in February 2021, and in October that year ASEAN barred junta leaders from its summits and ministerial meetings, inviting the country to send “non-political” representatives instead. The meeting comes just three days before the three-year anniversary of the coup, with the junta facing their most serious threat to power yet, as a coalition of armed ethnic groups makes significant gains in the north. Laos has the chair of ASEAN for the first time since 2016, with all eyes on whether the small nation can move the needle on the long-running issue of Myanmar. ASEAN’s diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis have been repeatedly stymied, with little progress made since 2021 when the bloc agreed on a five-point peace plan. Last year’s chair Indonesia hailed “positive” talks with the main sides in November, when the junta was represented by “interlocutors”, according to a statement at the time. However, friction between ASEAN members escalated over the former Thai government’s decision last year to meet junta Foreign Minister Than Swe. The kingdom shares a long border with Myanmar. Read more at: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/myanmars-crisis-the-world/myanmar-sends-official-to-first-asean-meeting-in-more-than-two-years.html
