Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand is stepping up efforts to act as a “bridge” to help Myanmar reintegrate into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) following its recent election, while urging Nay Pyi Taw to address concerns raised by the region and the international community.
The message was delivered by Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow after talks with his Myanmar counterpart Than Swe on February 18 in Phuket, southern Thailand.
Sihasak said Thailand’s policy is to gradually engage with Myanmar as a frontline country directly affected by developments along their shared border. He stressed that Thailand’s key objective is to help Myanmar return to the ASEAN fold, while Myanmar must also respond to the bloc’s concerns.
Bangkok has called on Nay Pyi Taw to demonstrate concrete progress, including initiating dialogue with ethnic minority groups, allowing broader humanitarian access to vulnerable communities, and avoiding attacks on civilians. Sihasak noted that any substantive steps in these areas would be viewed as positive signals, adding that implementation of ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus agreed by Myanmar in 2021 has seen little progress over the past five years.
The Thai minister said Myanmar had responded positively to these proposals during discussions. The two sides also agreed to strengthen cooperation in combating scam networks and drug trafficking, and discussed restoring cross-border trade, particularly at the Mae Sot–Myawaddy checkpoint, a key commercial gateway between the two countries.
Sihasak described the Phuket meeting as an informal discussion on the future direction of Thai-Myanmar relations after Myanmar’s recent election. He noted that Thailand, which shares a 2,400-km border with Myanmar, has significant economic and security interests at stake, with more than 80% of bilateral trade, worth around 200 billion THB (over 6.4 billion USD), conducted through border channels.
He emphasised that supporting Myanmar’s return to sustainable peace and advancing the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus serves Thailand’s national interest./.
