CNI News

29 Oct 2022

As the Special ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (Special AMM) was held without Myanmar in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 27th October, the country will not be bound by the outcomes of the Special AMM, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the SAC.

Myanmar was asked to assign a non-political representative to the meeting and the country did not send any representative.

Since Myanmar fully adhered to the principle of non-interference in internal affairs and the principle of equal rights and obligations, Myanmar did not accept the invitation, which discriminates the level of representation among the Member States, the press release says.

It continues that the meeting was held with only nine ASEAN Member States without Myanmar, which is not in line with the principles enshrined in the ASEAN Charter. Therefore, Myanmar will not be bound by the outcomes of the meeting.

The Special ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (Special AMM) held in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 27th October.

Since it assumed the state’s responsibilities in line with the 2008 State Constitution, the State Administration Council has been implementing the Five-Point Roadmap to restore the multiparty democratic system. At the same time, as a responsible member state, Myanmar has been constructively cooperating with the Special Envoy of the ASEAN Chair in implementing the ASEAN five-point consensus, according to the press release.

Since implementing the five-point consensus is a process, inserting additional pressure by setting a timeframe will create more negative implications than positive ones, the ministry said.

An ASEAN special summit was held in Indonesia on 24th April, 2021.

The summit reached a five-point consensus to end violence, to hold dialogues with all stakeholders, to offer humanitarian assistance, to release all political prisoners and to appoint a special envoy of the ASEAN.

As the SAC did not implement the consensus effectively, the SAC chairman and the foreign minister was not invited to ASEAN meetings. Instead, the regional group has invited a non-political representative to its meetings since then.