Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and his Indonesian counterpart, Retno Marsudi, expressed support for an informal ministerial meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states to be held as soon as possible to discuss the situation in Myanmar and find a way to tackle the political crisis, the Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th February, 2021) Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and his Indonesian counterpart, Retno Marsudi, expressed support for an informal ministerial meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states to be held as soon as possible to discuss the situation in Myanmar and find a way to tackle the political crisis, the Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday.
At their meeting, which was held in Singapore earlier in the day, the ministers expressed "grave concern over the situation" and hope that "all parties involved will maintain dialogue and work towards a peaceful resolution and national reconciliation in Myanmar."
"Both Ministers agreed that ASEAN can play an important role in facilitating constructive dialogue and a return to normalcy and stability in Myanmar. They discussed possible next steps for ASEAN to address the situation in Myanmar, including how it could foster inclusive dialogue with all key stakeholders, including its external partners. They also expressed strong support for a proposed Informal ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Myanmar to be convened as soon as possible, to facilitate a constructive exchange of views and identify a possible way forward," the ministry said in a statement.
Balakrishnan called on the warring parties to exercise restraint and make effort toward de-escalation, also slamming violence against civilians.
