ASEAN is expected to defer a decision on whether to allow Myanmar’s leaders and ministers to return to key political meetings, diplomatic sources from the bloc said on Saturday (14 November).
Kyodo News reported that Myanmar has been excluded from key ASEAN summits since its 2021 military coup because of a lack of progress in implementing proposals to end the violence and promote dialogue.
ASEAN leaders will hold their annual summit in Manila from 15 November. They had been expected to decide then whether to allow Myanmar to return to key meetings.
However, Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi remains in detention, a situation that could influence ASEAN leaders’ decision.
ASEAN regards “positive developments” concerning Aung San Suu Kyi as one of the conditions for Myanmar’s return to key meetings.
The sources said ASEAN leaders were now more likely to consider a policy of “gradual reintegration”, allowing Myanmar’s political representatives to resume participation in the relevant meetings in stages.
