The crisis in Myanmar is the key issue during the May 9-11 ASEAN summit in Indonesia. This summit is the first of two to be held in Indonesia this year.
Indonesia currently holds the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The country is now trying to achieve a breakthrough to end the crisis, says Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.
“Indonesia uses diplomacy without megaphones. This is intended to build trust with all parties,” she said at a press conference on Friday, May 5.
Indonesia has been involved in establishing a peace process between the parties in Myanmar. The same applies to India, Thailand and China.
Indonesia’s peace initiative is the first major attempt to bring all key players in Myanmar to the negotiating table. The goal is to implement the peace process that ASEAN put forward two years ago, which the junta has accepted on paper but not carried out.
As late as Sunday, a convoy of diplomats traveling in Myanmar was attacked by an unknown armed group.
The convoy was carrying diplomats from the embassies of Indonesia and Singapore as well as officials from ASEAN. No casualties were reported.
The officials and diplomats had been traveling Sunday to “hand over humanitarian aid,” Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Monday. The President has publicly condemned the attack.
Source: aftonposten.no
