Singapore says 'premature' for ASEAN talks with Myanmar
The Hindu
Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said June 16 that conditions were not yet right for ASEAN to open high-level talks with Myanmar on the country’s political situation.
Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said June 16 that conditions were not yet right for ASEAN to open high-level talks with Myanmar on the country's political situation.
"We believe it would be premature to re-engage with the junta at a summit level or even at a foreign minister level," Balakrishnan said when asked about a news report that Thailand had proposed talks.
Speaking in a joint press conference in Washington with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Balakrishnan said the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations had recently reaffirmed their stance.
"We condemned the coup, and the ongoing violence against civilians, the instability in the country, the setback to national reconciliation, and the enormous impact on the economy," he said of the 2021 military takeover in Myanmar.
"Unfortunately, it's now more than two years. We haven't seen any signs of improvement."
Balakrishnan did not reject all engagement with the Myanmar junta.
"The key point is this. You do need everyone ultimately to sit down and negotiate," he said.
