Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi (Source: www.moreechampion.com.au) Hanoi (VNA) – Indonesian Foreign MinisterRetno Marsudi has called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)to immediately appoint a special envoy on Myanmar, more than a month after thegroup agreed steps to try to solve resolve the political crisis in the country.
Speaking at a video press conference in Jakarta on June 2, Marsudi said theappointment of a special envoy should be done immediately and communicationswith all parties must be maintained.
Dialogue should be encouraged to solve the crisis in the Southeast Asiannation, she said.
ASEAN comprises 10 member countries. Myanmar joined the group in 1997.
In early February, in a statement, ASEAN called on the sides to seek dialogueand reconciliation to bring the situation back to normal soon. The statementhighlighted the importance of ASEAN member states’ political stability inachieving peace, stability, and prosperity for the ASEAN Community.
Atthe ASEAN Leaders' Meeting onApril 24 in Jakarta, ASEAN leaders reached the“five-point consensus”on Myanmar, which demands an immediatecessation of violence in Myanmar and all parties shall exercise utmostrestraint.
The consensus underlined the need to carry out constructive dialogue among allparties to seek a peaceful solution in the interests of the people, and appointa special envoy of the ASEAN Chair as a mediator to promote the dialogueprocess and provide humanitarian assistance through the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistanceon Disaster Management (AHA Centre).
ASEAN’s Chairman and Secretary-Generalhas planned to travel to Myanmar in the coming days to monitor theimplementation of the five-point consensus./.
VNA
