Key facts
- Philippine Foreign Minister Ma. Theresa Lazaro intends to meet with Myanmar ethnic armed groups soon.
- The meetings aim to understand the situation in Myanmar and explore potential assistance.
- Lazaro has been appointed as the Philippines' special envoy to Myanmar.
- The Philippines is the current chair of ASEAN.
- Myanmar has been in a state of civil war since the 2021 military coup.
Philippine Foreign Minister Ma. Theresa Lazaro announced on Wednesday her intention to meet with ethnic armed groups from Myanmar in the coming days. The meetings are intended to gather information about the ongoing situation and to explore avenues for assistance.
Lazaro, who also serves as the Philippines' special envoy to Myanmar, made the remarks at a forum organized by Nikkei in Tokyo. She did not specify which groups she would meet or the location of the meetings, stating, "We'll see how it works."
The Philippines is currently the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Myanmar has been experiencing widespread conflict since the military seized power in a 2021 coup, leading to a civil war involving a coalition of rebel groups. The military leadership has been excluded from high-level ASEAN meetings, but the bloc is exploring ways to re-engage with the country since a new, nominally civilian government took power in April. Myanmar's President Min Aung Hlaing has indicated his government's commitment to normalizing relations with ASEAN.