ASEAN Ministers to Meet Myanmar Counterpart in Bangkok
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- ASEAN foreign ministers will hold an informal meeting with Myanmar's foreign minister in Bangkok on July 12, with Thailand and Vietnam confirming the gathering on Thursday.
- Myanmar's army-backed government, formed after an election earlier this year, is seeking the lifting of an ASEAN ban on its leaders from bloc summits imposed following the 2021 military coup.
- Myanmar's protracted civil war has killed over 100,000 people and displaced millions as an array of armed groups battle the military across the country.
- Thailand drove the push for greater engagement with Myanmar's new administration at an ASEAN summit in May, where ministers agreed to hold the dialogue at an unspecified date.
- Min Aung Hlaing, the former junta chief turned president who led the 2021 coup, made his first trip to an ASEAN member state last week with a state visit to Laos.
- Vietnam foreign ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang framed the Bangkok meeting as 'an opportunity for ASEAN foreign ministers to directly exchange views, strengthen cooperation, and promote reconciliation dialogue in Myanmar.'
Why it matters: The Bangkok meeting puts ASEAN's May pledge into action — direct dialogue with a military-backed government that emerged from an election most Western governments do not recognize as legitimate, while Myanmar's civil war continues to claim lives and drive displacement.
