Thailand wants to act as a bridge to bring Myanmar back into ASEAN.

(CLO) On February 18, Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow expressed hope of helping Myanmar rejoin the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) after nearly five years.

Speaking after a meeting with his Myanmar counterpart in Phuket, Sihasak affirmed: "Thailand wants to be a bridge to bring Myanmar back into ASEAN."

This move comes as ASEAN has excluded top leaders of Myanmar's military junta from key summits since the 2021 events that ended the first democratic government in half a century and triggered widespread conflict and repression in the country.

During talks held on February 18 in southern Thailand, Sihasak urged the war-torn nation to take concrete steps toward adhering to the bloc's long-term plan for restoring stability.

The foreign ministers of the two countries held talks in Phuket, Thailand. Photo: Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs .

He emphasized that active cooperation from Myanmar is a prerequisite for the success of this process.

Thailand's Foreign Minister stated: "Myanmar must also help Thailand by responding to ASEAN's concerns, such as initiating a dialogue process, which is a good thing; reducing violence; and avoiding attacks on civilians."

At the same time, the official also made a strong commitment to Bangkok's position, declaring: "Thailand will demonstrate a leading role" throughout this entire process.

Despite participating in the bilateral meeting and discussing relations between the two countries, Myanmar's Foreign Minister Than Shwe did not make any statements after the meeting concluded.

Currently, Thailand's efforts are receiving significant international attention, as bringing Myanmar back to the negotiating table is not only diplomatically significant but also key to resolving the humanitarian and security crisis in the region.

Observers expect that with Thailand acting as a "bridge," a substantive dialogue process will soon be launched to reduce violence and bring peace to the people of Myanmar.

Source: https://congluan.vn/thai-lan-muan-lam-cau-noi-dua-myanmar-tro-lai-asean-10330837.html