The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed to keep the Five Point Consensus as a reference for the regional organization in resolving the conflict in Myanmar.
The agreement was reached in the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Tuesday during Indonesia’s leadership period. Furthermore, Laos will continue the rotating leadership of ASEAN next year.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said that ASEAN leaders also agreed to form a troika between the leadership of the current year (Indonesia) and the leadership before (Laos) and later (Malaysia) for the continuation of handling the Myanmar issue.
“Myanmar’s non-political representation is defended,” Retno told reporters in Jakarta, Tuesday.
The leaders also reviewed the implementation of the Five Point Consensus. The ASEAN leaders concluded that there was no significant progress in the implementation of the consensus, said Retno.
Therefore, ASEAN agreed not to allow Myanmar to lead the bloc in 2026 according to the original schedule so that its position will be replaced by the Philippines.
ASEAN has banned junta leaders from attending high-level meetings of the organization for failing to implement the Five Point Consensus, which is a peace agreement between ASEAN and junta leaders after the military overthrew the elected government through a coup in February 2021.
Retno said that the leaders’ meeting in Jakarta also appreciated Indonesia’s efforts – as the leader of ASEAN – in approaching all parties in Myanmar and increasing and extending humanitarian aid to the people of Myanmar.
During its leadership in ASEAN, Indonesia in the last nine months has conducted 145 engagements with various parties in Myanmar. Retno said that the achievement was the most and the most intensive that ASEAN had ever done.
Source : Antara
