Jokowi Expresses Disappointment With Myanmar During ASEAN Summit

Wednesday, 27 October 2021 – 23:13 GMT+7
President Joko Widodo / Credit: Ricardo, JPNN

jpnn.com, JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo expressed his disappoinment with Myanmar's attitude at the ASEAN Summit on Tuesday (26/10).

The President viewed that Myanmar "did not welcome ASEAN's helping hand as a family, to help Myanmar out of its political crisis".

ALSO SEE: Hundreds of TNI Soldiers Train With Australian Army

This statement was reported by the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi in a press briefing after the summit on Tuesday.

"The access requested by the ASEAN Special Envoy, to be able to meet with all relevant parties, has not been granted by the Myanmar military until the final moments before the summit," said Retno.

ALSO SEE: 'Not Yet Over': Jokowi Reminds Regional Heads of Covid-19

As previously reported, ASEAN foreign ministers decided not to include the leader of the Myanmar junta in the summit, based on the agreement reached at the ASEAN ministerial meeting. However, representatives from Myanmar were still invited on a non-political level.

Jokowi said that while it was important for ASEAN to continue to respect the principle of non-intervention, there was also an obligation to uphold the principles of the ASEAN Charter, which included good governance, respect for human rights, and constitutional government.

ALSO SEE: Jokowi Inaugurates 17 Indonesian Ambassadors

According to the President, this provides space for ASEAN to continue carrying out various progress, in line with the promise to the people of ASEAN.

"As a family, the President said that ASEAN's helping hand must still be offered to Myanmar, including the provision of humanitarian assistance to the Myanmar people," said Retno.

During the summit, the President emphasized that the people of Myanmar had the right to live in peace and prosperity, and that the Indonesian people continued to hope that Myanmar would restore democracy through an inclusive process.

ADVERTISING
ADVERTISING

The ASEAN Summit is scheduled to take place from October 26 to October 28 under the chairmanship of Brunei Darussalam.

In addition to Myanmar, the President also raised two other main issues, namely the importance of strengthening ASEAN institutions and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific. (ant/dil/mcr20/jpnn)

This news has been broadcast on JPNN.com with the title: KTT ASEAN: Presiden Jokowi Ungkap Kekecewaan terhadap Myanmar