The ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Foreign Ministers' Meeting opened on the 25th (local time) in Vientiane, Laos. At this meeting, foreign ministers of member countries will discuss regional security issues such as the civil war in Myanmar and territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
According to major foreign media including the AP News, ASEAN foreign ministers will prioritize addressing the Myanmar civil war situation during the meeting, which runs until the 26th.
The Myanmar military regime agreed to five points, including a cessation of violence in Myanmar, with ASEAN in April 2021 but failed to implement them, resulting in exclusion from ASEAN high-level meetings. However, this time, the attendance of Aung Cho Moe, a non-political official and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar, was secured.
The Myanmar military regime is increasing its engagement with ASEAN by attending the ASEAN-led international meetings for the third time, following January and March.
At this meeting, several ASEAN member countries including the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei are also expected to discuss the South China Sea territorial disputes, where they are confronting China. ASEAN has been consulting with China to draft a Code of Conduct for the South China Sea.
Meanwhile, on the 27th, the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), a multilateral security forum involving 27 countries including the 10 ASEAN nations plus South Korea, the United States, China, Japan, Australia, Russia, North Korea, and Mongolia, is scheduled to be held.
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