Southeast Asian leaders agreed on Sunday to engage Myanmar's government in stages, while making its return to high-level meetings conditional on progress on a regional peace plan.
Myanmar remains a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), but its political leaders have been barred from summits and foreign ministers' meetings since October 2021.
The military seized power that year, overthrowing the elected government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and triggering a civil war that continues today.
In a joint statement, the leaders called for "a calibrated engagement with Myanmar through a phased and progress-based approach, taking into account developments on the ground.”
They said ASEAN could gradually restore Myanmar's full political representation if it makes "sustained and concrete progress” on the bloc's five-point peace plan. The plan has yielded little since it was agreed on in 2021, and fighting continues between the military and pro-democracy and ethnic armed groups.
"What more can we do for Myanmar?” Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. asked at the leaders' retreat in Manila. He urged the bloc to find practical ways to advance the peace plan and support an inclusive process led by Myanmar.
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