Member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) held an unofficial foreign minister level meeting in Thailand on the 22nd, including representatives of the Myanmar military, regarding the situation in Myanmar, which continues to be confused after the coup d'état.
However, half of the member countries have decided not to participate in the meeting, and it is believed that progress toward a breakthrough will be difficult.
The meeting held in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, was attended by foreign minister-level representatives from Cambodia, the ASEAN chair, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. did.
According to the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the meeting, representatives of each country and the Myanmar military side directly exchanged opinions on humanitarian aid and the implementation of five items such as the immediate cessation of violence agreed by ASEAN in April last year. .
Until now, ASEAN has not allowed representatives of the Myanmar military to attend summits and foreign ministers' meetings, but this time the Thai government invited representatives of the military and ASEAN member countries for informal consultations, and attention is being paid to each country's response. was collecting.
However, five of the 10 member states, including Indonesia and Singapore, which took a tough stance on the Myanmar military, ultimately decided not to participate, highlighting the differences in stances within ASEAN.
In addition, the Myanmar military side has not changed its hardline stance, such as calling pro-democracy forces a "terrorist organization" in a statement after the meeting, and it is believed that progress toward a breakthrough will be difficult.