ASEAN offers Myanmar's sidelined leaders a path back to summits, but says restrictions will stay until there is meaningful progress on its peace plan

ASEAN leaders have decided to give Myanmar's sidelined officials a chance to return to regional summits, but they insist progress must be made first. The military regime seized control of Myanmar in October 2021, forcing out the elected government headed by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, and has been fighting with pro-democracy and ethnic groups ever since.

Myanmar still belongs to ASEAN, but its leaders have been barred from high-level meetings with the regional group. At a meeting in Manila, ASEAN members agreed to a "calibrated engagement" with Myanmar, meaning they would gradually restore the country's full political role if it makes "sustained and concrete progress" on the bloc's five-point peace plan.

However, the peace plan has not seen much progress since it was agreed upon in 2021. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. questioned what more could be done for Myanmar and urged the ASEAN group to find practical ways to advance the peace plan and support an inclusive process led by Myanmar.