Based on the leaders' decision, Myanmar was not invited to the political-level meetingLabuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggar (ANTARA) - Indonesian President Joko Widodo has expressed the hope that all stakeholders in Myanmar will have the political commitment to carry out internal dialogue to find a resolution to the nation’s prolonged conflict.
"We hope that Myanmar will also have the political commitment to carry out internal dialogue among themselves," he said in his closing press statement on the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), on Thursday.
He informed that Indonesia has carried out non-megaphone diplomacy with all stakeholders in Myanmar.
According to him, the decision was in line with the mandate of the Five-Point Consensus formulated by ASEAN leaders in April 2021 to help end the conflict in Myanmar.
Three points of the consensus call for an end to violence, a dialogue with all stakeholders, and the appointment of a special envoy for supporting mediation and dialogue.
In addition, the consensus urges the junta to allow ASEAN to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Myanmar and allow an ASEAN special envoy to visit and meet with stakeholders in Myanmar.
According to ASEAN, so far, the Myanmar military junta has failed to implement the Five-Point Consensus. Therefore, the organization has excluded the junta from high-level meetings.
"Based on the leaders' decision, Myanmar was not invited to the political-level meeting,” Widodo stated.
However, the head of state emphasized that the Indonesian government is ready to engage with all stakeholders in Myanmar for humanitarian reasons.
"Indonesia is ready to talk to anyone in Myanmar, including the junta and all stakeholders in Myanmar, for the sake of humanity," he added.
Earlier, the leaders at the 42nd ASEAN Summit emphasized that acts that harm human values in Myanmar cannot be tolerated.
They also issued a joint statement on the sidelines of the summit supporting President Widodo’s statement in response to the recent attacks on the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Management (AHA Centre) and the ASEAN monitoring team in Myanmar.
"We support the efforts of the chair of ASEAN, including Indonesia's efforts in continuing the involvement of stakeholders in Myanmar, and encouraging progress on the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus," one of the points in the statement released on Wednesday stated.
Apart from the joint statement, the 42nd ASEAN Summit also produced at least 10 other documents during high-level meetings on May 10–11, 2023.
The documents include the Declaration on the Eradication of Human Trafficking Due to the Misuse of Technology, the Declaration on the Development of Regional Electric Vehicle Ecosystems, the Declaration on Increasing Connectivity of Regional Payments and the Promotion of Local Currency Transactions, the Declaration on the Placement and Protection of Migrant Fishermen, the Declaration on the Protection of Migrant Workers and Family Members during Crisis Situations, and the Declaration on One Health Initiatives.
They further include joint statements, namely the Statement on the Establishment of the ASEAN Villages Network, the Statement on the Recent Attack on the Accompaniment of the AHA Center and the ASEAN Oversight Team in Myanmar, the Statement on the Development of a Post-2025 ASEAN Community Vision, the Statement on Strengthening ASEAN Capacity and Effectiveness, as well as Statement of the Leaders of the 42nd ASEAN Summit.
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Translator: Gilang Galiartha, Resinta S
Editor: Sri Haryati
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