ASEAN foreign ministers to hold meeting with Myanmar counterpart at weekend
SkimNews Take
The informal format lets ASEAN re-engage Myanmar's junta without committing to the bloc's stalled formal posture, giving both sides room to restore ties incrementally rather than at a binding summit.
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- ASEAN foreign ministers will hold an informal meeting with Myanmar's foreign minister in Bangkok on July 12, announced Thursday by Thailand and Vietnam.
- Myanmar's army-backed government, installed after an earlier election this year, is seeking the lifting of a ban that has sidelined its leaders from ASEAN summits since the 2021 military coup.
- Vietnam's foreign ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said the Bangkok meeting offers a chance to 'directly exchange views, strengthen cooperation, and promote reconciliation dialogue in Myanmar.'
- At a May summit, ASEAN foreign ministers agreed to hold a virtual meeting with Myanmar's top diplomat following Thailand's push for greater engagement with the new administration.
- Myanmar's civil war has killed over 100,000 people and displaced millions, with an array of armed groups battling the military regime.
- Min Aung Hlaing, the former junta chief turned president who led the 2021 coup, made a state visit to Laos last week — his first trip to an ASEAN member state since assuming his new civilian role.
- ASEAN distanced itself from Myanmar's junta after generals failed to act on the bloc's 'five-point consensus' peace plan, though many member states have since shifted toward re-engagement.
Why it matters: The July 12 meeting signals ASEAN's accelerating pivot back toward Myanmar's military-backed government despite its failure to implement the bloc's five-point peace plan. With Min Aung Hlaing now making state visits to fellow ASEAN members like Laos, the bloc's prior isolation strategy is giving way to renewed diplomatic engagement — a shift that risks legitimizing the junta while its civil war has already killed over 100,000 people.
