MYANMAR – The ASEAN Foreign Minister Conference led by the new chair Malaysia announced that it has decided to continue banning the Myanmar junta council from attending the conferences.
The decision was made at the ASEAN Foreign Minister Conference held in Langkawi, Malaysia on January 19 and is an extension of the policy on how ASEAN interacts with the junta council since the 2021 military coup.
A junta foreign affairs staff represented the junta council at the conference and reportedly presented the junta regime’s plans to hold an election but Malaysia Foreign Minister Mohammed Hassan is reported to have pointed out that an election should not be a priority during a time of conflicts and urged to begin dialogue and immediately cease all attacks.
“The election must involve all parties. An election cannot be held in selected places only. It must involve all stakeholders. Also, the election is not out priority. Our priority is to put an end to act of terror. Malaysia is interested in what Myanmar has in mind. We told them that the election is not our priority. Our priority is to cease fire,” said the Malaysia Foreign Minister.
He continued that he urged the representative of the Myanmar junta council to end conflicts and allow humanitarian passage.
