ASEAN ministers discuss Myanmar’s peace plan next week
The Philippines’ top diplomat will report next week to her Southeast Asian counterparts the results of her meeting in Thailand with various stakeholders in Myanmar.
ASEAN foreign ministers, chaired by Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro, held an informal meeting with their Myanmar counterpart, U Tin Maung Swe, to discuss the latest developments in Myanmar. Photo from Secretary Lazaro’s X (formerly Twitter) account.
Anna Mogato | July 16, 2026
MANILA — The Philippines’ top diplomat will report next week to her Southeast Asian counterparts the results of her meeting in Thailand with various stakeholders in Myanmar, as the regional bloc seeks new approaches to end the political crisis.
Ma. Theresa Lazaro and nine other ASEAN foreign ministers listened to Myanmar’s foreign minister, who briefed them about the political and security developments in his country five years after the military seized control.
Dominic Xavier Imperial, a spokesman for ASEAN affairs, said the Philippines will continue to hold an extended informal consultation on the implementation of the five-point consensus next week during the annual ASEAN ministerial meeting (AMM).
Imperial said the peace plan in Myanmar remained a top priority “because we had to face the realities on the ground of what’s happening in Myanmar”.
“It should still be in line with the five-point consensus. And so, in that regard, the foreign ministers decided to meet in person, with the foreign minister of Myanmar,” he added.
Imperial said it was the ASEAN leaders who had instructed the ministers, during the ASEAN Summit in Cebu last May, to renew “reengagement in Myanmar.”
Last week, Lazaro and the other ASEAN foreign ministers met with Myanmar Foreign Minister U Tin Maung Swe in Bangkok for the first time since 2021 to hold an informal discussion.
Imperial said Lazaro also met with different Myanmar stakeholders, including ethnic armed organizations (EAO).
“Whatever transpired in those meetings, as a special envoy, she will be reporting it to the foreign ministers,” Imperial said, referring to Lazaro.
As the special envoy and ASEAN Chair, Imperial said Lazaro was tasked with holding dialogue and engagements with stakeholders.
She had also visited Naypyidaw in January as part of her mandate, he added.
In Lazaro’s meeting with the EAOs, Imperial said that the organizations shared their positions on the elections, the military junta, and what they want to achieve for Myanmar. (Also read: India’s Highway to Thailand Hinges on a Peaceful Myanmar)
“It’s true that there are a lot of stakeholders in Myanmar. Regarding how these groups are representing the whole of the Myanmar stakeholders, we consider it a significant representation,” Imperial said.
“Not in terms of population, but in terms of whatever development or progress we will achieve here. It will have a significant impact.”
It has been five years since Myanmar fell into a political crisis after the junta seized power and imprisoned former State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi along with thousands of activists, journalists, and civilian leaders.
In May, the Philippines welcomed reports of Aung San Suu Kyi’s transfer to house arrest as well as the amnesty granted to 1,500 other political prisoners.