Key facts
- ASEAN's special envoy met with Myanmar's military-backed negotiators and rebel groups.
- All sides acknowledged that there is no military solution to the civil war in Myanmar.
- Thailand has offered to facilitate future peace talks and provide a venue.
- The meetings represent a step toward reviving ASEAN's stalled peace initiative for Myanmar.
- Detained Aung San Suu Kyi is a figure Thailand and ASEAN hope to meet.
Thailand's Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow announced that opposing sides in Myanmar's civil war have indicated openness to dialogue, signaling a potential revival of ASEAN's peace efforts. The country's military-backed negotiators and several rebel groups, including the Karen National Union and Karenni National Progressive Party, met separately with ASEAN's special envoy, Maria Theresa Lazaro, and Thai officials.
All parties involved recognized that a military solution to the ongoing conflict is not feasible or in their interests. Thailand has offered to serve as a facilitator and provide a venue for future peace talks, a significant step given the estimated 100,000 lives lost and millions displaced since the 2021 military coup.
While the rebel groups are open to dialogue, they are still working to establish a common position. ASEAN foreign ministers had previously held in-person talks with their Myanmar counterpart, the first since the coup. Thailand and ASEAN also expressed a desire to meet with the detained Aung San Suu Kyi and reaffirmed their commitment to ASEAN's Five-Point Consensus peace plan.