14-7-2023 (JAKARTA) The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has praised Indonesia, this year’s ASEAN Chair, for its efforts to engage all parties and stakeholders in Myanmar to reduce conflict. The ASEAN foreign ministers stated in their Joint Communique of the 56th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting that they appreciated the Chair’s efforts to build trust and confidence among all relevant stakeholders in Myanmar, leading towards an inclusive dialogue for a comprehensive political solution.
The ASEAN foreign ministers also reiterated their commitment to the Five-Point Consensus (5PC) in handling the Myanmar crisis, which calls for putting an end to violence, holding dialogue with all stakeholders, appointing a special envoy to facilitate mediation and dialogue, allowing the ASEAN to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Myanmar, and allowing the ASEAN special envoy to visit and meet with stakeholders in Myanmar.
“We discussed the developments in Myanmar and reaffirmed our united position that the Five-Point Consensus (5PC) remains our main reference to address the political crisis in Myanmar,” they stated. The ASEAN foreign ministers agreed to support sustaining engagements to push for the implementation of the 5PC in its entirety, in line with the ASEAN Leaders’ decision at the 42nd ASEAN Summit.
The ministers also called for continued support from external partners, including the UN and neighboring countries of Myanmar, to work with ASEAN for the concrete implementation of the 5PC. The ASEAN foreign ministers condemned the ongoing violence in Myanmar, stating that they strongly condemned the continued acts of violence, including air strikes, artillery shelling, and destruction of public facilities.
They urged all parties involved to take concrete action to immediately halt indiscriminate violence, denounce any escalation, and create a conducive environment for the delivery of humanitarian assistance and inclusive national dialogue.
