ASEAN foreign ministers assert Five-Point Consensus remains main peace plan for Myanmar crisis

JAKARTA: The foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) reaffirmed their position that the Five-Point Consensus remains their main reference to address the ongoing political crisis in Myanmar.
They also strongly condemned the continued acts of violence, including air strikes, artillery shelling, and destruction of public facilities.
ASEAN’s top diplomats are in Jakarta this week for its annual foreign ministers and related meetings, which Indonesia is hosting as the current chair of the group.
In a joint communique issued late on Thursday (Jul 13), the ministers urged all parties involved to take "concrete action to immediately halt indiscriminate violence, denounce any escalation and create a conducive environment for the delivery of humanitarian assistance and inclusive national dialogue”.
What is the Five-Point Consensus?
During a meeting in April 2021, all ASEAN leaders reached a consensus about the situation in Myanmar.
The five points are:
First, there shall be immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar and all parties shall exercise utmost restraint.
Second, constructive dialogue among all parties concerned shall commence to seek a peaceful solution in the interests of the people.
Third, a special envoy of the ASEAN chair shall facilitate mediation of the dialogue process, with the assistance of the secretary-general of ASEAN.
Fourth, ASEAN shall provide humanitarian assistance through the AHA Centre.
Fifth, the special envoy and delegation shall visit Myanmar to meet with all parties concerned.
Myanmar has been in crisis since the military seized power in a coup in early 2021 against the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.
On the sidelines of the meetings this week, Thailand’s foreign minister Don Pramudwinai told reporters that he met Aung San Suu Kyi on Sunday, her first known meeting with a foreign envoy since she was detained.
In June, Thailand held an informal meeting with Myanmar's military. It was not attended by most ASEAN members, including current chair Indonesia.
The joint communique on Thursday said that Thailand briefed the ASEAN foreign ministers on its recent activities on Myanmar, which a number of ASEAN member states viewed as a positive development.
It did not elaborate on what the activities were but added: “We reaffirmed ASEAN unity and reiterated that any effort should support, in line with (Five-Point Consensus) and in coordination with the chair of ASEAN.”
SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTE
The South China Sea dispute was also discussed in the meetings.
“Concerns were expressed by some ministers on the land reclamations, activities, serious incidents in the area, including actions that put the safety of all persons at risk, (and) damage to the marine environment,” the ministers said in the communique.
They said it has eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions, and may undermine peace, security and stability in the region.
“We reaffirmed the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, security, stability, safety, and freedom of navigation in and overflight above the South China Sea and recognised the benefits of having the South China Sea as a sea of peace, stability, and prosperity.”
Earlier on Thursday, ASEAN’s foreign minister met with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi. They agreed on guidelines to accelerate the negotiation of the code of conduct for the South China Sea.
China claims much of the South China Sea, but ASEAN members Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam are also claimant states.
For years, ASEAN countries and the United States have challenged China’s territorial claims and tried negotiating a code of conduct to resolve disputes.
However, negotiations have stalled due to various reasons, such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic, which made it more difficult to hold in-person meetings.
“We emphasised the need to maintain and promote an environment conducive to the code of conduct negotiations, and thus welcomed practical measures that could reduce tensions and the risk of accidents, misunderstandings, and miscalculation,” added the ministers in the joint communique.