Myanmar knocks on ASEAN's door again

Myanmar is pushing for its military-backed leaders to be allowed to attend ASEAN high-level meetings again, as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) prepares for its upcoming summit in Manila from November 15 to November 17. The pressure comes after several ASEAN members, including Thailand and other countries, have increased engagement with Myanmar despite the ongoing civil war that has killed over 100,000 people since the military coup in 2021.

The Five-Point Consensus, a peace plan agreed upon after the coup, has seen little progress in implementation, with the country's political leadership barred from ASEAN summits and foreign ministers' meetings. However, nearly half of ASEAN's members have stepped up bilateral engagement with Myanmar, and Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has pledged to work towards Myanmar's reintegration into the bloc.

Thailand's Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow has expressed hope for Myanmar's participation, suggesting that Thailand might allow the country's Foreign Minister to attend the meetings at the level of Foreign Minister. Analysts argue that the shifting approaches put pressure on the Five-Point Consensus, which calls for an end to violence, inclusive dialogue, humanitarian assistance, and mediation by an envoy able to meet all parties.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Economic Times's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.