REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi gladly welcomed commitments of members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to keep pushing for the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus (5PC) to resolve crises in Myanmar.

Marsudi stated at the ASEAN Foreign Affairs Ministers' Meeting (AMM) in Laos on Monday that Indonesia had sent all the notes on the efforts made to deal with Myanmar issues during its ASEAN chairmanship period last year to Laos, as the bloc's 2024 chair.

"Indonesia hopes that no parties will take permissive actions that can hinder the implementation of the 5PC. It is important to prudently engage relevant stakeholders in Myanmar to prevent any parties from politicizing our steps," she noted in a press statement received in Jakarta.

Marsudi then stressed on Indonesia's readiness to continue to help Myanmar in putting an end to its crises by coordinating with Laos -- as this year's ASEAN chair -- and Malaysia -- the bloc's chair for next year -- under the troika mechanism.

"Discussions held under the troika mechanism are expected to go beyond consultation. Within the mechanism, it is possible to coordinate regarding the provision of humanitarian aid and push for inclusive dialogue," she stated.

The minister further spoke of having made the most of the AMM to underline the importance of dealing with issues concerning Rohingya refugees as an effort to resolve the Myanmar crises.

"ASEAN needs to work hard to create a conducive situation for Rohingya people to voluntarily and safely return to Myanmar with dignity," she stressed.

The minister then emphasized that the ASEAN did not invite representatives from Myanmar's ruling military junta to the AMM, staying true to its resolve to exclude the country's political envoys from all of its meetings.

Hence, Myanmar decided to send its Foreign Affairs Ministry's permanent secretary, as a non-political representative, to the AMM.

"I would like to reiterate that Myanmar was represented by an official at the non-political level," Marsudi stated.

Myanmar has been under the spotlight of the ASEAN and the international community since a coup launched by its military junta against the Burmese elected government in 2021, triggering deadly conflicts between the military and civilians.

The military junta has imprisoned Myanmar's state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, along with those from opposition parties and has been responding to mass demonstrations with violence. 

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