ASEAN Envoy Meets Myanmar's Foreign Minister to Discuss Civil War and Humanitarian Access
Key Takeaways
- •ASEAN's special envoy on Myanmar, Philippine Foreign Secretary Ma. Teresa P. Lazaro, met Myanmar's foreign minister Tin Maung Swe in Naypyitaw for talks covering the civil war and humanitarian access.
- •Myanmar's leadership has been barred from ASEAN summits since 2021 for failing to de-escalate conflict after the military coup that toppled Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government, and the army-backed government now seeks to normalize ties with the bloc.
- •Myanmar state media reported that Lazaro discussed restoring the country's original role and rights within ASEAN, but her office's statement made no mention of such a discussion.
- •The meeting took place through the special envoy position that Myanmar's government said in August was no longer needed.
- •Lazaro was told that detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi is doing well, though her office did not confirm whether a meeting with her occurred.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations' special envoy on Myanmar met the country's foreign minister on Thursday for talks covering the civil war and humanitarian access, according to official statements.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Ma. Teresa P. Lazaro, who serves as ASEAN's envoy on Myanmar, met her Myanmar counterpart, Tin Maung Swe, in the capital, Naypyitaw.
The visit comes as Myanmar's army-backed government seeks a normalization of ties with the regional bloc. Myanmar's top leadership has been barred from ASEAN summits since 2021 for failing to de-escalate conflict in the wake of the February 2021 military coup, which toppled the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar reported on Friday that Ms. Lazaro discussed ways to restore Myanmar's original role and rights within ASEAN. A statement from Ms. Lazaro's office on her trip, however, made no mention of any discussion about restoring Myanmar's standing in the bloc, leaving open whether the question was substantively discussed.
Ties between Myanmar's government and ASEAN have been strained. In August, Myanmar's government said there was no longer a need for an ASEAN special envoy, a position created under the bloc's 2021 peace roadmap for the country. Thursday's meeting nonetheless went ahead through the very position Myanmar's government had said was no longer needed.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the coup, which triggered a civil war that has killed an estimated 100,000 people and displaced more than 3.5 million — a toll that gives the talks' humanitarian-access agenda its practical weight.
At the meeting, Tin Maung Swe said Myanmar was working to implement ASEAN's five-point peace plan, in line with the country's national interests and sovereignty, state media said. The five-point consensus, adopted by ASEAN leaders in April 2021, calls for an immediate end to violence, dialogue among all parties and the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
Ms. Lazaro had sought access to Ms. Suu Kyi, who has been detained since she was removed from power in the coup. Ms. Lazaro's office made no mention of a meeting taking place, leaving open whether direct access to the detained leader might feature in any future engagement.
"I asked about the situation of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the response was quite positive that she's doing well," Ms. Lazaro was quoted as saying by Philippine news outlet Bilyonaryo, which joined her on the trip.
— Reuters, via BusinessWorld
