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The decision was made after Myanmar refused to cooperate with the EU crisis envoy Erywan Yusof.
After the military takeover on February 1, the Southeast Asian foreign ministers have agreed to reduce Myanmar’s participation in the upcoming summit, which is the most severe condemnation of its leaders to date.
Brunei, the chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said on Saturday that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) would invite a non-political representative instead of Myanmar’s military leader, General Min Aung Hlaing.
The decision was made at an emergency meeting held on Friday night after Myanmar refused to cooperate with Brunei’s second foreign minister Erywan Yusof (Erywan Yusof).
The Myanmar Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded quickly, saying that it was “extremely disappointed and strongly opposed” to the organization’s decision, which was made without reaching a consensus.
The statement said: “It would be counterproductive to link Myanmar’s representation at the ASEAN summit with the visit of the special envoy, because it is just putting pressure on Myanmar.”
It also claimed that the current military government complies with the Myanmar Constitution.
This 10-member group has been under tremendous international pressure and needs to take more measures to force member Myanmar to release dozens of political figures, including the expelled civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and stop leading to more than 1,100. Violent incidents of civilian deaths.
The ASEAN envoy abruptly cancelled his visit to Myanmar this week because he was told that he could not meet with Aung San Suu Kyi and others.
Brunei said in a statement that Myanmar argued that Eriwan was unable to meet with people facing legal proceedings, such as Aung San Suu Kyi and the removal of President Win Min.
Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior civilian leaders were detained during the military takeover. She faces various allegations, which her supporters and independent analysts say are an attempt to legitimize military operations.
Brunei’s statement stated that ASEAN ministers expressed concern about the impact of the Myanmar crisis on regional security and the “ASEAN’s unity, credibility and centrality as a rules-based organization”. It said that the group’s envoy must be able to reach all parties involved.
It said that members of the political opposition National Unity Government see themselves as a shadow government and have asked to participate in the October 26-28 summit.
The ASEAN foreign ministers did not reach a consensus on Myanmar’s political representatives at the summit, so the ministers decided to invite a non-political representative to give Myanmar “room for the restoration of internal affairs and normalcy,” it added. .
The officials did not say who would be invited.
When dealing with the Myanmar issue, ASEAN has always been hindered by its basic policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of its member states and consensus decision-making. Some member states such as Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines believe that actions are reasonable, because major unrest in Myanmar may cause regional instability.
It is widely believed that Myanmar has done little to fulfill its promises, even though it claims to help promote humanitarian assistance.
Having Min Aung Hlaing attend the summit that will be held via video may be seen as an endorsement of military takeover, which has stopped one of Asia’s most dramatic democratic transformations after decades of military rule.
Among the world leaders who should participate is President Joe Biden, who condemned the acquisition and authorized sanctions against Myanmar generals, their families and colleagues.
The United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, the European Union and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement on Friday to support the ASEAN envoy. They urged Myanmar to cooperate constructively with Eriwan and let him meet with relevant parties.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters in Washington: “So far, the military has been reluctant to engage with ASEAN productively in response to the Myanmar crisis.”
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