Langawi, Malaysia - - Malaysia's has appointed diplomat Othman Hashim as the Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN's special envoy on the crisis in army-ruled Myanmar, its foreign minister said on Sunday.
Othman is the former secretary general of Malaysia's foreign ministry and was selected by Malaysia, the new chair of Association of Southeast Asian Nations, to try to implement ASEAN's peace plan in Myanmar, where a civil war is intensifying.
Langkawi meeting is the first Asean meeting under Malaysia’s chairmanship to discuss and map out the Asean agenda under the theme of “Inclusivity and Sustainability.”
Malaysia is expected to hold more than 300 key meetings related to the three pillars—political-security, economic, and social-culture.
There will be two Asean-related summits: the 46th from May 5-7 and the 47th from October 6-9. Malaysia plans to announce the Asean Community Vision 2045 at the summit in May.
The new blueprint envisions the region as a resilient, innovative, dynamic, and people-centered Asean over the next two decades.
The retreat, which will last four hours, will also review the Asean peace plan, the Five-Point Consensus, which was agreed upon in April 2021.
Myanmar’s Permanent Secretary, Aung Kyaw Moe, has been invited to attend the retreat. He is expected to brief the Asean leaders on the current situation in Myanmar and the progress of implementing the Five-Point Consensus.
Foreign Ministry Secretary General Datuk Seri Amran Mohammed Zin said that under its leadership, Malaysia will prioritize the Myanmar peace process.
“Asean’s effort is focused on helping Myanmar resolve the situation,” he said, according to Bernama.
Amran added that three main elements—the cessation of violence, inclusive political dialogue, and humanitarian assistance—remain relevant to this day. The other two elements are the appointment of a special envoy for Myanmar and allowing the envoy to visit Myanmar to meet with all parties.
Timor-Leste’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Bendito dos Santos Freitas, will also attend the retreat as an observer. Asean agreed in principle to admit Dili as the 11th member of Asean in 2022.
Malaysia has previously chaired Asean four times: in 1977, 1997, 2005, and 2015.
