ASEAN Ministers Commend Special Envoy’s Inclusive Engagement On Myanmar

KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 (Bernama) -- The ASEAN foreign ministers commended the dedicated efforts of the ASEAN Chair’s Special Envoy on Myanmar, Tan Sri Othman Hashim, in carrying out his mandate, particularly through inclusive engagement with a wide range of Myanmar stakeholders.

In the joint communique issued following the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Wednesday (July 9), the ministers said Othman, who was appointed in January this year, had actively engaged with a wide and diverse range of stakeholders.

“The Special Envoy has also engaged ASEAN Member States, ASEAN Dialogue Partners, Myanmar’s neighbouring countries, international and regional partners, civil society organisations, humanitarian actors, and think tanks towards finding an inclusive and sustainable resolution to the crisis.

“This inclusive engagement reflects ASEAN’s commitment to collaborative efforts in addressing the complex challenges in Myanmar,” the statement read.

Othman, a former Foreign Ministry secretary-general, was appointed as the special envoy of the ASEAN Chair on Myanmar at ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ (AMM) Retreat in Langkawi on Jan 19. He is the fifth special envoy appointed since the February 2021 military coup that sparked a political and humanitarian crisis in the country.

Meanwhile, the foreign ministers expressed their deep concern over the escalation of conflicts and the humanitarian situation in Myanmar, and encouraged progress on the implementation of the ASEAN’s Leaders’ Five-Point Consensus (5PC) . 

They reaffirmed their united position that the 5PC remains the main reference to address the political crisis in Myanmar and further reaffirmed the relevant leaders’ decisions.

“We will conduct our comprehensive review of the 5PC implementation and submit our recommendations to the 47th ASEAN Summit. We also agreed to task our senior officials to explore new strategies to ensure continuity in the role of the ASEAN special envoy on Myanmar,” they said.

The foreign ministers also denounced the continued acts of violence against civilians and public facilities.

They urged all parties involved to take concrete action to immediately halt indiscriminate violence, exercise utmost restraint, ensure the protection and safety of all civilians and civilian infrastructure, and create a conducive environment for the delivery of humanitarian assistance and inclusive national dialogue.

The foreign ministers also welcomed the continued progress in the provision of humanitarian assistance to Myanmar by the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre) in support of Point 4 of the 5PC.

-- BERNAMA