As Myanmar crisis deepens, Five-Point Consensus should remain ASEAN’s focus: Indonesia foreign minister

Mdm Marsudi said she would brief her counterparts on what Indonesia has done during the last seven months as chairman of the ASEAN bloc, especially on the engagements with all stakeholders involved in the crisis in Myanmar. 

She said Indonesia has very intensive and broad engagements with all stakeholders and has held 110 engagements so far.  

“This is a very complex exercise, and it is not easy at all,” she said. 

The top diplomat also said that engagements and dialogues will pave the way to political solutions. 

“We are still very much concerned to see the continuing and increasing violence in Myanmar. 

“Indonesia strongly condemned the use of force and violence.”  

She added: “We strongly urge all stakeholders to denounce violence as this is paramount to build trust, and this is also paramount to deliver humanitarian assistance and for dialogue.”  

Mdm Marsudi said that under Indonesia’s chairmanship, there were a number of steps made towards humanitarian assistance. 

She hopes the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre) will be granted further access to Myanmar.

The meeting of ASEAN’s foreign ministers in Jakarta comes as critics have questioned the group’s effectiveness and unity while the conflict in Myanmar deepens.