Kuala lumpur: The ASEAN foreign ministers commended the dedicated efforts of the ASEAN Chair's Special Envoy on Myanmar, Tan Sri Othman Hashim, in carrying out his mandate, particularly through inclusive engagement with a wide range of Myanmar stakeholders.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, in the joint communique issued following the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting, the ministers said Othman, who was appointed in January this year, had actively engaged with a wide and diverse range of stakeholders. 'The Special Envoy has also engaged ASEAN Member States, ASEAN Dialogue Partners, Myanmar's neighbouring countries, international and regional partners, civil society organisations, humanitarian actors, and think tanks towards finding an inclusive and sustainable resolution to the crisis.
The statement highlighted that this inclusive engagement reflects ASEAN's commitment to collaborative efforts in addressing the complex challenges in Myanmar. Othman, a former Foreign Ministry secretary-general, was appointed as the special envoy of the ASEAN Chair on Myanmar at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' (AMM) Retreat in Langkawi on January 19. He is the fifth special envoy appointed since the February 2021 military coup that sparked a political and humanitarian crisis in the country.
Meanwhile, the foreign ministers expressed their deep concern over the escalation of conflicts and the humanitarian situation in Myanmar and encouraged progress on the implementation of ASEAN's Leaders' Five-Point Consensus (5PC). They reaffirmed their united position that the 5PC remains the main reference to address the political crisis in Myanmar and further reaffirmed the relevant leaders' decisions.
The ministers stated that they would conduct a comprehensive review of the 5PC implementation and submit their recommendations to the 47th ASEAN Summit. They also agreed to task senior officials to explore new strategies to ensure continuity in the role of the ASEAN special envoy on Myanmar.
The foreign ministers denounced the continued acts of violence against civilians and public facilities, urging all parties involved to take concrete action to immediately halt indiscriminate violence, exercise utmost restraint, ensure the protection and safety of all civilians and civilian infrastructure, and create a conducive environment for the delivery of humanitarian assistance and inclusive national dialogue.
Additionally, the foreign ministers welcomed the continued progress in the provision of humanitarian assistance to Myanmar by the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre) in support of Point 4 of the 5PC.