Thailand urges Southeast Asian bloc to reengage with Myanmar

Regional unity and stability require the stability of neighboring countries, therefore, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul urged the ASEAN bloc on Tuesday to re-engage with Myanmar. Thailand has supported an approach of re-engagement that opens as many dialogue doors as possible to respond to the ground realities and foster progress, he said at the ASEAN headquarters in Jakarta, Indonesia. At the invitation of the Thai prime minister, General Min Aung Hlaing is scheduled to visit Bangkok from August 6 to 7, which is also an attempt to rebuild diplomatic relations after years of international isolation. Since the outbreak of civil war and instability in Myanmar following the 2021 coup, the ASEAN bloc has isolated Myanmar, and Min Aung Hlaing became president after the elections in April this year. It stated that the Five-Point Consensus, which calls for an immediate cessation of violence and dialogue between the conflicting parties, continues to be the main framework for the Myanmar issue. Anutin said that he supports the framework and also proposed some amendments to change the form of engagement between ASEAN and Myanmar. Referring to the meeting between detained national leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the ICRC, he pointed out that her health appeared to be good, and said that this approach is heading in the right direction. Source – Anadolu