Singapore, Indonesia support informal ASEAN meeting on Myanmar
The foreign ministers of Singapore and Indonesia support a proposal to hold an informal ASEAN ministerial meeting on Myanmar, Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on February 18.
Soldiers guard at a checkpoint in Mandalay, Myanmar (Photo: AFP/VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) - The foreign ministers ofSingapore and Indonesia support a proposal to hold an informal ASEANministerial meeting on Myanmar, Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA)said on February 18.
The statement was issued following Singaporean ForeignMinister Vivian Balakrishnan’s meeting with his visiting Indonesiancounterpart, Retno Marsudi, in Singapore on the same day.
The MFA said the two ministers discussed possible next stepsfor ASEAN to address the situation in Myanmar, including how it could fosterinclusive dialogue with all key stakeholders, including its external partners.
They also expressed strong support for a proposed Informal ASEANMinisterial Meeting on Myanmar to be convened as soon as possible, tofacilitate a constructive exchange of views and identify a possible wayforward.
Retno arrived in Singapore on February 17 and left on thenext day.
She also visited Brunei on February 17 and met with itsSecond Foreign Minister Dato Erywan Pehin Yusof, where discussions onthe situation in Myanmar were held. Brunei is the current ASEAN Chair.
The military took power and declared the state of emergencyin Myanmar after detaining Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior figures from theruling National League for Democracy (NLD) on February 1.
Previously, the military had demanded the postponement ofthe new parliament sessions, citing massive voting fraud in the November 2020elections, which saw the NLD win a majority of seats in both houses ofparliament. The country’s Union Election Commission had dismissed theallegation./.
Many countries issued statements hoping Myanmar soon stabilise its situations on February 1, after the country’s military detained senior politicians including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint.
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Soldiers guard at a checkpoint in Mandalay, Myanmar (Photo: AFP/VNA) 
