The foreign ministers (FMs) of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) decided to exclude Myanmar’s military leader, Min Aung Hlaing, from participating in the bloc’s upcoming virtual summit on October 26-28. The move invited criticism from the junta, which called it “foreign intervention.”
“Myanmar is extremely disappointed and strongly objected (to) the outcomes of the emergency foreign ministers meeting, as the discussions and decision on Myanmar’s representation issue was done without consensus and was against the objectives of ASEAN,” the Myanmar Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun told BBC Myanmar that the United States (US), along with European Union (EU) representatives, had pressured some ASEAN leaders to exclude Aung Hlaing.
“The foreign interventions can also be seen here...Before, we learned that some envoys from some countries met with US foreign affairs and received pressure from EU,” he said.
After the FMs failed to achieve consensus on a political representative, the bloc decided to invite a non-political representative. The meeting also decided that the bloc’s special envoy to ASEAN, Erywan Yusof, would not visit the country this month, after Myanmar authorities barred him from meeting with certain individuals, including deposed democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The decisions were made during an emergency meeting on Friday that was called to discuss the junta’s “insufficient progress” in abiding by the peace roadmap set forth for it. As of now, ASEAN has decided to “give space to Myanmar to restore its internal affairs and return to normalcy,” Brunei, the group’s current chair, said in a statement.
The decision had previously been hinted at by the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia, who had expressed their intentions to not invite the military leader as relations between Myanmar and other ASEAN members grow increasingly strained.
Singapore also expressed support for the “difficult but necessary decision” taken in order to “uphold ASEAN’s credibility.” In a Facebook post on Saturday, Singaporean FM Vivian Balakrishnan cited “the unsatisfactory and highly limited progress in the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus” as the reason for the group’s decision.
Balakrishnan was referring to the five points mutually agreed upon back in April by ASEAN leaders, including Myanmar’s military leader, for a peaceful resolution of the country’s political dispute. This included the immediate cessation of violence, the appointment of an envoy, the delivery of humanitarian aid, and the facilitation of constructive dialogue.
So far, only the envoy and aid requirements have been fulfilled. The country’s ousted leaders remain embroiled in legal battles while violence continues to ravage the country; more than 1,100 civilians have been killed by authorities since the onset of the coup on February 1.
ASEAN’s unprecedented decision comes as international pressure to take a tougher stance on dealing with Myanmar’s military coup has been mounting on the group. On Friday, the US, Britain, Australia, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand, Norway, and East Timor said in a joint statement that they are “deeply concerned about the dire situation in Myanmar.”
Myanmar Military Leader Disappointed Over Exclusion from ASEAN Summit
The decisions were made during an emergency meeting on Friday that was called to discuss the junta’s “insufficient progress” in abiding by the peace roadmap set forth for it.
October 18, 2021
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