ASEAN reaffirms engagement with Myanmar, seeks to advance peace plan

ASEAN leaders have reaffirmed engagement with Myanmar while maintaining pressure for an end to the fighting, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said at the bloc’s summit in Manila. The position matters as members weigh whether to ease restrictions that have kept Myanmar’s military-backed leaders from high-level meetings since the 2021 coup.

Marcos said the 11-member bloc would pursue “constructive and principled engagement” and seek to advance its five-point peace plan. The plan calls for an end to violence, dialogue among the parties, ASEAN-led mediation, humanitarian aid and a visit by the bloc’s special envoy. The conflict has killed an estimated 100,000 people and displaced more than 3.5 million, according to the UN; ASEAN’s special envoy said there would be no easing of the bloc’s approach, while proposals on Myanmar’s participation remain under discussion.