MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th July, 2021) Moscow considers it important to intensify contacts between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Myanmar to overcome the crisis, the appointment of a special envoy from the association will have a positive effect on the settlement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
"We consider it important that within ASEAN there have been numerous contacts, including face-to-face contacts, with the participation of official representatives of Myanmar... We are convinced that the expected appointment of a specialized ASEAN envoy will give an impetus to further joint work to settle the situation in that country," Lavrov said in an interview with the Indonesian newspaper Rakyat Merdeka.
The Myanmar military toppled the civilian government and took power in the country on February 1, arresting civilian leaders. The actions of the military triggered a wave of protests, which the new regime is harshly suppressing. The United States and its allies called the incident a coup.
