CEBU CITY – Southeast Asian foreign ministers reaffirmed their commitment to finding a peaceful and long-lasting solution to end Myanmar’s civil war, during a closed-door meeting in the fringes of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat on Wednesday.
During the informal discussions with her counterparts in Cebu City, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro said that they “discussed ways forward” in finding a solution for the crisis in Myanmar.
Lazaro, who is the designated Philippine ASEAN chair special envoy to Myanmar, reported the outcome of her recent visit to Myanmar, where she met civilian and military leaders.
"Had engaging discussions with my #ASEAN colleagues, as concurrent Chair and Special Envoy of the ASEAN Chair on #Myanmar, during the Extended Informal Consultation on the Implementation of the Five-Point Consensus #5PC," Lazaro said on X.
"We shared views on the implementation of the 5PC, discussed ways forward, and reaffirmed ASEAN's collective resolve in finding a peaceful and lasting solution that is Myanmar-owned and Myanmar-led," she added.
The closed-door meeting comes a week after Myanmar concluded its third and final round of elections called by the ruling military junta since the civilian government, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, was overthrown by the army in February 2021.
The military overthrowing the civilian government was met with widespread opposition, resulting in a civil war.
In an earlier press briefing in Cebu, Spokesperson on ASEAN Matters Dax Imperial confirmed that a senior diplomat with the rank of Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar is attending the retreat.
Meanwhile, a Southeast Asian diplomat privy to the closed-door meeting described the general mood of the talks as “good”.
In a chance interview with DZRH, the diplomat said that “all are supportive and cooperative especially on her (Lazaro’s) envoy role.”
This was echoed by Imperial in a separate interview with reporters, saying the “special envoy is taking initiatives to engage various political and ethnic groups in Myanmar were received positively by the ASEAN foreign ministers.”
