ASEAN Foreign Ministers Hold 'Icebreaker' Meeting With Myanmar Counterpart Amid Peace Accord Challenges

Foreign ministers and representatives from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met with Myanmar's Foreign Minister Tin Maung Swe for the first time in five years, aiming to revive a regional peace initiative intended to resolve the country’s civil war. The meeting, brokered by Thailand, supported an approach of “calibrated engagement” to bring Myanmar back into the “ASEAN family.” The meeting comprised both an informal discussion and a session involving only ASEAN member states. Foreign ministers or representatives from every member state, except Cambodia and Malaysia, were in attendance. According to Philippine Foreign Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro, Tin Maung Swe provided a comprehensive briefing covering the Myanmar military’s peace efforts, the status of ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and cooperation against cross-border scam operations, trafficking, and drug trafficking. However, a significant gap remains between ASEAN’s expectations for progress and the stance of Myanmar’s military junta. The Five-Point Consensus, agreed upon in April 2021, calls for an immediate cessation of violence and inclusive dialogue involving “all parties” to the conflict. Yet, Myanmar’s military has done little to implement it, focusing instead on defeating its opponents by force. Last week, Myanmar’s military-dominated parliament passed a motion rejecting the Consensus as interference by ASEAN. One of the key issues discussed was the status of Aung San Suu Kyi, the elected civilian leader ousted in the 2021 coup and held in custody ever since. Tin Maung Swe stated that she was in good health and would be looked after, but ASEAN’s special envoy on Myanmar, Lazaro, was denied a request to meet her. Thailand’s Foreign Minister noted that ASEAN member states “clearly spelled out our expectations” and called for access to Suu Kyi “so that we can be able to verify the claims” that she is in good health. Myanmar’s new government seeks to normalize relations with ASEAN while maintaining a free hand in dealing with its adversaries. Myanmar’s Foreign Ministry stated that the meeting discussed enhancing relations and “constructive cooperation for the restoration of Myanmar’s full and equal participation in ASEAN.” Human rights organizations and armed groups have criticized the meeting. ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) urged member states to reject any “steps toward legitimizing Myanmar’s military junta.” Mercy Chriesty Barends, an Indonesian MP and chair of APHR, stated, “ASEAN must not fall into the junta’s trap. Time and again, ASEAN has rewarded the junta’s non-compliance instead of holding it accountable for its crimes against the people of Myanmar.” Lazaro defended the decision to meet with Tin Maung Swe, noting progress on humanitarian access, one of the goals of the Five-Point Consensus. “It can’t be done in one stroke. It’s evolving, and I think all of these engagements are very important,” she said. Lazaro plans a second trip to Myanmar later this year, while Thailand is working to facilitate talks between Myanmar and ethnic armed groups along their border. Progress will be reviewed at the next ASEAN Summit at the end of the year.