Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Indonesian government on Monday criticized Thailand’s decision to host a meeting of foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), including the Myanmar junta.Speaking at a press conference in Jakarta, special staff to the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs for regional diplomacy, Ngurah Swajaya, said that Thailand’s approach to involve the Myanmar junta violated the mandate of ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus. “If one country takes the initiative, go ahead, it’s their right. But when talking in the ASEAN context, we have rules of the game that must be respected,” Swajaya stated. The rules of the game refer to the Five-Point Consensus and the outcomes of the ASEAN summits, which have been agreed upon by the leaders for addressing the crisis that has been unfolding in Myanmar ever since the military seized power from a democratically elected government in a 2021 coup. “There was an agreement among ASEAN leaders that the Five-Point Consensus is still the reference (for resolving Myanmar’s crisis),” he said. ccording to Swajaya, an approach involving all stakeholders in Myanmar must be carried out to encourage national inclusive dialogue and find a peaceful solution. Engaging just one stakeholder is not part of ASEAN’s Myanmar peace plans.
Source: Antara News Agency