Myanmar Regime’s Foreign Minister to Attend Informal ASEAN Meet

The regime’s Foreign Minister Tin Maung Swe on Thursday said he will attend an upcoming informal meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers.

Speaking in the military-controlled Union Parliament, Tin Maung Swe announced he will lead Myanmar’s delegation to the meeting, which reportedly takes place in Bangkok on Sunday.

The gathering was called to discuss ASEAN’s potential re-engagement with Myanmar’s pariah regime, according to press reports.

He made the announcement in response to a motion from the military’s proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) urging the regime to seek a review of ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus on Myanmar.

During the debate, members of the rubber-stamp Parliament denounced ASEAN and its peace plan as “back-stabbing,” and insisted that coup leader-turned president Min Aung Hlaing never agreed to it.

The Five‑Point Consensus was adopted soon after the coup at the April 2021 ASEAN summit in Jakarta, attended by Min Aung Hlaing. It called for an immediate end to violence, dialogue among all parties, humanitarian aid, and the appointment of a special envoy.

When the junta failed to implement it, ASEAN barred senior regime members from attending high-level summits. Myanmar has since been represented only by ostensibly non-political officials—such as permanent secretaries—at the bloc’s summits and foreign ministers’ meetings.

In Thursday’s debate, the foreign minister admitted that ASEAN member states remain divided over Myanmar, but claimed bilateral engagement has helped improve relations with the bloc. “I fully believe that, in the not-too-distant future, Myanmar will regain its original role and rights within ASEAN,” he told lawmakers.

Tin Maung Swe added that his regime has gained support from two powerful neighbors, India and China, while ASEAN member Laos had pledged to support Myanmar’s re-engagement.

The minister boasted that in the little more than two months since his government took office, the foreign ministers of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Laos have visited Myanmar, with ministers from other ASEAN member states expected to follow.

Min Aung Hlaing is also planning goodwill visits to ASEAN member states and “other friendly countries,” Tin Maung Swe said, claiming such exchanges demonstrate the regime’s diplomatic progress and growing international legitimacy.

Tin Maung Swe’s predecessor, Than Swe, was also able to dodge the ban last year when he held informal talks in Pattaya with his Thai counterpart Sihasak Puangketkeow, who called Sunday’s meeting and favors legitimizing Myanmar’s regime.