PHNOM PENH: Cambodian Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Chum Sounry, told EAC News that ASEAN member states have not agreed to invite the Myanmar Foreign Minister to the upcoming ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting, due to the small amount of progress made in implementing the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus on Myanmar.

With that said, the Spokesman affirmed that ASEAN Foreign Ministers have asked Myanmar to send a non-political representative instead.

“Since there has been little progress in carrying out the ASEAN’s 5-Point Consensus, the ASEAN member states did not reach a consensus to invite Myanmar SAC's Foreign Minister to participate in the upcoming FM Retreat to be hosted by Cambodia. Therefore, we have asked Myanmar to send a non-political representative instead,” said Spokesman Chum Sounry.

He added, “Meanwhile, we encourage Myanmar to be represented at the Retreat by a non-political level rather than leaving the seat empty. It is up to Myanmar to decide who that "non-political level" would be.”

The ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting is scheduled to be held on 16-17 February 2022 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The closed-door meeting will discuss arrangements for the Special Envoy's first visit to Myanmar and the priorities of the ASEAN Special Envoy for the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus, including multilateral consultative meetings on humanitarian assistance and cooperation from the ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC) and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UNSG), and will gather all practical humanitarian approaches from experts and locals, regional and international humanitarian agencies, to facilitate humanitarian assistance as soon as possible.