Indonesia conducts intensive engagement with Myanmar: Minister
Jakarta, Indonesianpost.com – Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi stated that during the nine months of its ASEAN chairmanship, Indonesia had conducted a very flexible and intensive engagement to help resolve the issue in Myanmar.
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“Indonesia had carried out more than 145 engagements during the past nine months. I think it was the widest and most intensive engagement ever carried out by ASEAN,” Marsudi noted during the press statement after attending the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) in Jakarta on Monday.
The AMM is part of the series of events at the ASEAN Summit in Jakarta that took place on September 2-7, 2023. The summit will be attended by 19 state leaders, including ASEAN partner countries.
Furthermore, Marsudi remarked that in communicating with various parties in Myanmar, Indonesia refers to the Five-Point Consensus (5PC) as the main guideline for resolving the crisis in the country.
“We feel the need for sustainability in handling this issue,” she affirmed.
In discussing the Myanmar issue, ASEAN foreign ministers emphasized the need to review the implementation of 5PC to be recommended to ASEAN leaders, who will meet at the summit in Jakarta on September 5-7.
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“In the meeting, ASEAN member countries also appreciated Indonesia’s intensive efforts over the last nine months to encourage the implementation of 5PC,” she remarked.
The 5PC consists of focusing on securing an immediate cessation of violence, holding dialogue with all stakeholders, appointing a special envoy to facilitate mediation and dialogue, allowing ASEAN to provide humanitarian assistance to Myanmar citizens, as well as allowing ASEAN special envoys to visit and meet with stakeholders in Myanmar.
Since it was agreed in April 2021 by ASEAN leaders and the leader of the Myanmar military junta, Min Aung Hlaing, the implementation of the consensus as a peace plan to overcome the crisis in Myanmar is still stalled.
The ASEAN assesses that there is no willingness from the ruling junta in Myanmar to implement this consensus.
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Minister Marsudi explained that during its term of office, Indonesia has approached various parties in Myanmar, including the National Unity Government (NUG), which is the shadow government formed by the junta opposition, the State Administration Council (SAC), which was formed by the military, ethnic resistance organizations (EROs), and Myanmar civil society to start an inclusive dialogue.