ASEAN CHAIR'S SPECIAL ENVOY ON MYANMAR TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON - MOHAMAD ALAMIN

By Norhayati Mohd Akhir

PUTRAJAYA, Nov 27 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is expected to make an announcement regarding the Special Envoy of the ASEAN Chair on Myanmar soon, according to Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin.

Speaking to Bernama after delivering the keynote address at a parallel session titled ‘ASEAN Chairmanship 2025: Malaysia’s Preparation’, Mohamad said the ministry anticipates that the announcement to be made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim himself.

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“We are waiting, Insya-Allah, the announcement will be made soon, most likely by the Prime Minister,” he said.

Elaborating, Mohamad said the special envoy has a significant role in seeking a lasting solution to the political and humanitarian crisis in Myanmar.

“The special envoy needs to go there (Myanmar) more frequently and engage with all parties in Myanmar. This is one of the key roles. If possible, there should be continuous engagement sessions with the parties in Myanmar,” he said.

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On Nov 7, Mohamad reportedly said that Malaysia is in the final stages of appointing the special envoy who will engage with all stakeholders in Myanmar to bring them to the table for negotiations and political dialogue to find a sustainable solution to the country's prolonged conflict, which has shown no signs of resolution since the military coup on Feb 1, 2021.

He said the special envoy was part of ASEAN’s efforts to address the Myanmar crisis based on the Five-Point Consensus agreed upon by regional leaders in April 2021.

As an ASEAN member state and the upcoming ASEAN Chair for 2025, he said Malaysia is making every effort to find the best solution to end the crisis in Myanmar.

“If we succeed, then the ASEAN Chairmanship 2025 will be a historic achievement for us,” he said.

Mohamad said throughout Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship next year, a total of 297 meetings at the leadership, ministerial, senior official, and working group levels will be held across the country, starting in early January, 

In terms of preparations, he said that the Prime Minister has instructed all ministries and agencies, including strategic partners, to work together, pool their resources, and share expertise in order to ensure that Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship leaves a lasting positive impact on the country.

“The Prime Minister himself is actively involved in chairing the National Steering Committee (JPK), which has been established to plan, coordinate, monitor the preparation, and oversee the substantive and logistical implementation of the ASEAN Chairmanship through a whole-of-government approach,” he said.

Malaysia has previously held the ASEAN Chairmanship in 1977, 1997, 2005, and 2015.

Founded on Aug 8, 1967, ASEAN now consists of 10 Southeast Asian countries, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

-- BERNAMA