Key facts
- Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing will visit Laos.
- This is his first trip to an ASEAN member state since becoming president.
- He has previously visited Myanmar's neighbors, China and India.
- The visit follows a transition from military rule to the presidency.
- ASEAN did not endorse the results of Myanmar's recent elections.
Myanmar's junta chief and now president, Min Aung Hlaing, is set to make his first visit to an ASEAN member state since assuming his civilian role, traveling to Laos in the coming days. This trip follows his carefully managed transition to the presidency four months ago and previous visits to neighboring China and India.
At the invitation of Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith, Min Aung Hlaing will be accompanied by his spouse and a delegation of senior officials. The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar reported the planned visit without specifying exact dates.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), comprising 11 member states, did not endorse the outcomes of Myanmar's recent three-stage elections, which excluded major opposition groups and resulted in a victory for a military-backed party. Despite this, ASEAN leaders have increased engagement with Myanmar since the election, with the Malaysian foreign minister and Thailand's top diplomat having recently visited the capital, Naypyitaw.
Min Aung Hlaing seized power in a 2021 coup against the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, an event that ignited widespread protests and escalated into a protracted civil war. ASEAN's initial attempts to broker peace through its "five-point consensus" were unsuccessful, and the bloc had barred Myanmar's ruling generals from its summits, leading to Min Aung Hlaing's diplomatic isolation until recently.
Following his election victory, Min Aung Hlaing identified strengthening ties with ASEAN as a key priority for his government. Richard Horsey, senior Asia advisor at the International Crisis Group, noted that this state visit to Laos represents a significant departure from the diplomatic quarantine previously imposed on Myanmar by ASEAN after the coup. He added that this move inevitably undermines the political weight of the five-point consensus, making it harder for the remaining ASEAN states opposing normalization to maintain their stance.