Myanmar's Terrorist Military's Foreign Minister and ASEAN Foreign Ministers to Hold Informal Meeting in Bangkok

Yangon, July 10 A special meeting between ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Foreign Ministers and the Foreign Minister of Myanmar's terrorist military will be held in Bangkok, Thailand on July 13, the Philippines government, the ASEAN chair, announced. The Philippines government stated that the meeting will primarily discuss the internal conflict occurring within Myanmar and the matter of improving relations between the ASEAN bloc and Myanmar. This meeting will be led by the Philippines, which is serving as the rotating chair of the 11-member ASEAN bloc, and it will also be the first face-to-face meeting between Myanmar's (military) Foreign Minister and ASEAN Foreign Ministers since Myanmar's military leaders were excluded from ASEAN summits following the 2021 military coup. The Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs stated that Myanmar continues to remain an important member of ASEAN, and that this meeting is an informal discussion where Myanmar's (military) Foreign Minister will have the opportunity to explain the latest situation in the country to ASEAN nations. Furthermore, it is understood that the meeting will discuss practical steps for continued engagement between Myanmar and ASEAN, the cessation of terrorist acts, the promotion of constructive dialogues involving all stakeholders, and the provision of more humanitarian assistance. International organizations estimate that following the 2021 military coup, violent crackdowns on protesters have occurred in Myanmar, the civil war has further expanded, approximately 100,000 people have died, and millions of citizens have been displaced from their homes. Although Myanmar has established a civilian government after holding elections this year, Min Aung Hlaing, the terrorist, is serving as president, and the military continues to control the main power within the government. Min Aung Hlaing is attempting to resolve the ongoing deadlock with ASEAN and made his first state visit to an ASEAN member country last week. However, there are also analyses suggesting that difficulties are likely to continue in normalizing Myanmar's relations with ASEAN. The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) parliament, under the control of the Myanmar military, has supported and approved a motion to re-examine and respond to ASEAN's "Five-Point Consensus." The USDP parliament has demanded that ASEAN reconsider its stance on Myanmar and has called for a resolution urging ASEAN to review its position and for the Myanmar military to take responsive actions.