How far can Asean engage Myanmar without legitimising military rule?

How far can Asean engage Myanmar without legitimising military rule?

As foreign ministers from Asean member states gathered in the Philippine city of Cebu this week, the bloc faced a familiar dilemma: how to keep pushing for peace in Myanmar without sliding into what critics warn could become “de facto acceptance” of its military regime. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting,…

As foreign ministers from Asean member states gathered in the Philippine city of Cebu this week, the bloc faced a familiar dilemma: how to keep pushing for peace in Myanmar without sliding into what critics warn could become “de facto acceptance” of its military regime.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, held on Wednesday and Thursday, is the first major gathering hosted by the Philippines since it assumed the bloc’s chairship this year. Much of its focus has been on Myanmar and the stalled implementation of Asean’s Five-Point Consensus (5PC), the peace framework agreed in 2021 to end violence and open dialogue after the country’s military coup.

The talks came just days after Myanmar’s junta concluded elections widely dismissed by the United Nations, Western governments and rights groups as a sham intended to entrench military rule, with military-aligned parties set to dominate the legislature – deepening concerns among analysts that post-election engagement risks eroding Asean’s long-standing restrictions on the generals, including their exclusion from top-level summits.

Myanmar has been engulfed in civil war since February 2021, when the military overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and detained its leaders, triggering widespread resistance and violence that has killed thousands and jailed tens of thousands more.

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Myanmar’s junta carries out long-awaited elections, despite critics’ protests

Myanmar’s junta carries out long-awaited elections, despite critics’ protests

Speaking after the meeting, Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro said Asean member states had not reached a consensus on whether to endorse the results of Myanmar’s controversial election, but reaffirmed the bloc’s commitment to implementing the consensus to address the crisis.

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