Crisis in Myanmar dominates talks at ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting

The crisis in Myanmar dominated the talks at ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting on Tuesday. As per reports, the regional bloc was divided over how or whether to reengage with the coup-wracked country's ruling junta.

The two-day Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting will later be followed by talks with Beijing, Washington and other world powers where top United States diplomat Antony Blinken will strive to push back on China's assertiveness in the South China Sea.

Myanmar has been marred by violence since a military coup ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's government more than two years ago, prompting a crackdown on conflict.

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"The para is still being discussed... member countries are still taking time to propose their submission," a Southeast Asian diplomat said, as per AFP reports.

The diplomat, on condition of anonymity, said that ASEAN members were making "extra efforts" before the meeting, a prelude to a leaders' summit in September, to unite the group around the Myanmar issue, as per AFP reports.

The official was "not too optimistic" that would happen given that a "few members have different perspectives".

Though Myanmar remains an ASEAN member but has been banned from participating in high-level meetings over the junta's failure to enforce a five-point plan that was agreed on two years ago to settle the crisis.

Last month, Thailand hosted the junta's foreign minister for controversial "informal talks", which further deepened the divisions between the ASEAN members.

Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo told reporters on the meeting's sidelines the Thailand talks would be discussed but members were "going to talk about Myanmar again".

"Yes, we'd like to see it, meaning all ASEAN members," his Thai counterpart Don Pramudwinai said, without specifying if he meant the junta.

"Our differences should not be an excuse for us to abandon pressing human rights issues in our own region," Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said in remarks while opening a session,appearing to take aim at divisions within the bloc.

"It is hoped there will be a clearer implementation plan on what ASEAN will do going forward," Lina Alexandra of Jakarta-based think tank,Centre for Strategic and International Studies, told AFP.

An ASEAN-plus-three ministerial meeting with Japan, South Korea and China will take place on Thursday, ahead of the ASEAN Regional Forum and an 18-nation East Asia Summit foreign ministers' meeting on Friday, which will also include Washington and Beijing.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is expected to attend the latter.

"We cannot be truly safe with nuclear weapons in our region," Indonesian FM Marsudi told ministers in her opening remarks.

"With nuclear weapons, we are only one miscalculation away from apocalypse and global catastrophe."

(With inputs from agencies)

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