PHNOM PENH: The Secretary of State for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Spokesperson for the ASEAN Summit, Kung Phoak, has stated that ASEAN principles is not soft on Myanmar, but are flexible when saying that if the Five-Point Consensus on Myanmar does not make further progress, there may be a revision. 

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday morning, 12 November 2022, Spokesperson Kung Phoak said that the major conflict within a country cannot be solved in one or two years and will take many years to address. He said that as the current Chair of ASEAN, Cambodia has contributed a lot of work to pave the way for a solution to the ongoing conflict.

"Although ASEAN shows flexibility, ASEAN also shows clarity," he said. “That is why we see the ASEAN declaration on new assistance to solve problems in Myanmar.”

He added that if what ASEAN has done is still not showing positive signs of progress, ASEAN will reconsider how to make its decisions more effective.

Spokesperson Kung Phoak hopes that the Myanmar side will provide flexibility and cooperation with ASEAN, saying that these are for the benefit of Myanmar itself.

At the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summit on Friday, 11 November 2022, ASEAN leaders evaluated the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus reached at the ASEAN Leaders' Meeting in April 2021. ASEAN leaders noted that during the 10 months of Cambodia’s ASEAN Chairmanship, the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus had made little progress, with the Myanmar National Army failing to fulfill its commitment to ASEAN leadership. 

At the same time, ASEAN leaders also urged that the Five-Point Consensus must remain a valid reference and should be fully implemented.