ASEAN top diplomats reiterate continued support for Myanmar's efforts to bring peace, stability, and rule of law
Top diplomats of Southeast Asian nations Friday reiterated “continued support” to security for all communities in Myanmar's Rakhine state “as effectively as possible and facilitating the voluntary return” of the displaced Rohingya people.
They stressed the “safe, secure, and dignified” repatriation of the Rohingya, who are mostly Muslims and have fled Myanmar due to oppression and genocide, particularly since 2017, with over a million of them now living in neighboring Bangladesh.
The reiteration of support came after foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met this week in Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur.
“We reaffirmed ASEAN's continued support for Myanmar's efforts to bring peace, stability, and the rule of law, promote harmony and reconciliation among the various communities, as well as ensure sustainable and equitable development in Rakhine State,” the top diplomats said in a joint statement.
Without directly identifying the displaced people as Rohingya, the bloc's top diplomats also welcomed “continued engagement and cooperation” between Myanmar and Bangladesh, including bilateral repatriation initiatives for the verified displaced persons from Rakhine state.
“We looked forward to ASEAN's continued facilitation of the repatriation process,” the joint statement said.
On internal conflicts in Myanmar, the bloc reaffirmed “continued support” to the nation's “efforts to bring peace, stability, and the rule of law, promote harmony and reconciliation among the various communities, as well as ensure sustainable and equitable development in Rakhine State.”
Myanmar, ruled by a military junta since February 2021, is currently facing a case over the genocide of Rohingya at the International Court of Justice.
Following the military coup, ASEAN decided to disinvite Myanmar for its annual meetings.
The junta has, however, said it will hold elections in the Buddhist-majority nation towards the end of this year or early this year.
Early Friday, Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said the bloc has agreed that the elections in Myanmar are “not a priority.”
Malaysia is the current chair of ASEAN.
