ASEAN to hold foreign ministers’ meeting on Myanmar

Soldiers at a checkpoint in Naypyidaw, Myanmar (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) - ASEAN members are arranging to hold a special foreign ministers meeting next week to discuss the political crisis in Myanmar in the wake of the coup there early this month, according to ASEAN diplomatic sources.

It would be the first such meeting of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations since the member country's military ousted the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1.

The Kyodo News Agency quoted sources as saying that most ASEAN countries have expressed readiness to attend the meeting, with Myanmar's military-appointed Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin also asked to attend.

The meeting is likely to be a hybrid form with some attending in person and others joining virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to one of the sources. An in-person meeting would be held in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, where ASEAN has its secretariat.

In Thailand on February 24, Wunna Maung Lwin arrived in Thailand to hold diplomatic negotiations related to recent political developments in the country. Wunna Maung Lwin’s engaging in the negotiations showed Myanmar’s efforts in cooperating with ASEAN to seek solutions to political issues in the country.

ASEAN comprises 10 member countries. Myanmar joined the association in 1997.

In early February, in a statement, ASEAN called on the sides to seek dialogue and reconciliation to bring the situation back to normal soon.

The statement highlighted the importance of ASEAN member states’ political stability in achieving peace, stability, and prosperity for the ASEAN Community.

The military of Myanmar pledged to hold an election and transfer the power, while rejecting the accusation of conducting coup d'état as well as violence in protests inside the country./.