ASEAN Reaffirms Commitment to Push for Sustainable Peace in Myanmar

ASEAN foreign ministers have reaffirmed their commitment to promoting sustainable peace in Myanmar as part of efforts to maintain regional peace, stability, and to strengthen ASEAN Centrality. Philippine Foreign Minister Ma. Theresa Lazaro stated that ASEAN will continue to engage Myanmar and push for the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus as the main framework for resolving the crisis in the country. “Through these meetings, I am optimistic about our commitment to helping Myanmar achieve a sustainable solution that is owned and led by Myanmar itself, and ultimately benefits the people of Myanmar and the region as a whole,” Lazaro said following the Extended Informal Consultation (EIC) meeting held in the Philippines. The Five-Point Consensus, agreed upon by ASEAN leaders in 2021, includes an immediate cessation of violence, constructive dialogue among all parties, the delivery of humanitarian assistance, the appointment of an ASEAN special envoy, and a visit by the envoy to Myanmar to facilitate dialogue with all stakeholders. According to Lazaro, the discussions were a continuation of informal consultations on Myanmar held in Bangkok, Thailand, the previous week. “Through today’s Extended Informal Consultation, we continued discussions on the way forward, including ASEAN’s engagement with Myanmar and the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus in the country,” she said. One of the proposals that emerged was the appointment of an ASEAN Special Envoy to Myanmar with a long-term mandate to ensure the continuity of ASEAN’s diplomatic efforts. This scheme would replace the current mechanism where the special envoy serves only a one-year term. Lazaro said the ministers also discussed a mechanism for ASEAN to assess the situation in Myanmar as part of the evaluation of the Five-Point Consensus implementation. “The Foreign Ministers agreed that these proposals require further discussion at the ASEAN Senior Officials’ level to be integrated into the meeting’s outcome documents,” she said. Myanmar has been engulfed in a political and security crisis since the military seized power in February 2021. Since then, ASEAN has used the Five-Point Consensus as the main reference in pushing for a peaceful resolution to the crisis, although its implementation continues to face various challenges.