Myanmar's Foreign Minister may not be invited to the ASEAN meeting

[ASEAN NOW Content Team]

 

New Delhi strikes a compromise with the military junta government, a deviation from the BIMSTEC conference.

 

The government is unlikely to include the Myanmar Foreign Minister at the India-ASEAN Foreign Ministers' meeting, which will be hosted by the External Affairs Minister (EAM) in mid-June, due to international pressure on how to engage with the Myanmar military junta regime and India's own ties with its neighbour.

The move contrasts with India's attendance at the regional BIMSTEC meeting in Colombo in March, where Myanmar's junta-appointed Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin was invited as a virtual participant, a move that drew criticism from the US.
Myanmar is likely to boycott the India-ASEAN summit in Delhi as a result of New Delhi's decision.

 

Several official and diplomatic sources claim that India has opted to follow the ASEAN consensus and send solely a "non-political," "non-military" representative to the ASEAN Foreign Ministers and US-ASEAN meetings.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, U Chan Aye, is receiving invites from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for both the Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) on June 15 and the Foreign Ministers' meeting on June 16-17, according to sources.

 

Myanmar's response is still unclear, and a final call is expected on Monday, when the MEA convenes a logistics meeting in Delhi for diplomats from all ASEAN countries — Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Myanmar — to prepare for the XIIth "Delhi Dialogue," or India-ASEAN FM meeting.

The MEA has refused to comment on the matter.

 

After Western countries put sanctions on the Myanmar military administration, which toppled the elected National Unity Government (NUG) led by Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, India has chosen to take an independent stance on Myanmar, including at the UN Security Council.
India has emphasised the importance of democratic processes being restored, as well as the release of all political leaders and adherence to the ASEAN five-point accord.

The ASEAN five-point consensus on Myanmar, which was adopted in April 2021, calls for an immediate end to violence in the country, as well as dialogue among all parties, the appointment of a special envoy, ASEAN humanitarian assistance, and a visit to Myanmar by the special envoy to meet with all parties.

 

In 2021, India opted not to boycott Myanmar's government, and officials including then-Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla travelled to Naypyitaw and Yangon to meet with coup leader General Min Aung Hlaing.

In March, India agreed to participate in a summit of the Bay of Bengal Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, or BIMSTEC, which includes Myanmar and Thailand, and which Myanmar Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin virtually attended in sessions also attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and EAM S. Jaishankar.
The US had submitted strong demarches to both Sri Lanka, as the host, and India, which had backed the decision, in protest at the Minister's inclusion.