MANILA – South-east Asian leaders agreed on Nov 15 on pursuing a “calibrated engagement” with Myanmar’s post-coup government, according to a joint statement, as the regional bloc seeks a path towards normalisation.
Myanmar is still a member of ASEAN, but it has been frozen out of high-level meetings since a military junta seized power in a coup in 2021.
Thailand has been leading efforts to normalise relations with Myanmar since coup leader Min Aung Hlaing was installed as civilian president in 2026 following elections dismissed by monitors as a charade.
Bangkok has called for a “calibrated engagement” with Myanmar in an effort to implement ASEAN’s “five-point consensus” (5PC) plan aimed at ending the war between the military and a coalition of pro-democracy rebels and ethnic minority armed groups.
ASEAN leaders meeting in Manila adopted that language in calling for the pursuit of “a calibrated engagement with Myanmar through a phased and progress-based approach, taking into account developments on the ground”, according to the joint statement.
“Subject to sustained and concrete progress in the implementation of the 5PC by Myanmar, ASEAN may consider the gradual restoration of Myanmar’s full political representation,” the statement said.
The five-point plan has yielded little in the half-decade since it was agreed to, with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos conceding at a May summit he had not…
