Singapore minister hails Anwar's lead in rallying Asean on Myanmar

Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan has commended Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for rallying Asean on the Myanmar issue and maintaining direct lines of communication with key stakeholders in the country.

“I commend Anwar for rallying Asean and maintaining direct lines to both the state administration council (SAC) and the national unity government (NUG),” he posted on Facebook yesterday.

In April, Anwar held separate dialogues with leaders of the SAC and NUG, which marked a significant step towards fostering direct engagement between conflicting parties.

Balakrishnan also noted that Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan and Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa had recently visited Naypyidaw and held useful discussions.

“At today’s informal consultation between Asean foreign ministers, we reaffirmed the urgent need to fully implement the Five-Point Consensus - the paramount framework agreed to at the leaders level, to achieve lasting peace and reconciliation in Myanmar,” he added.

Balakrishnan said more than four years after the coup, the situation in Myanmar remains dire, and the suffering of the people has been compounded by the tragic earthquake.

He said the March earthquake was a painful reminder of the country’s fragility.

The minister noted that Singapore has deployed teams and contributed humanitarian aid and is ready to do more.

“But humanitarian action must be matched by political will. And tragedy can sometimes open the door to unity and peace,” he added.

Balakrishnan said Asean stands ready to help, but the people of Myanmar must ultimately generate the solution.

“Only then will we have a credible and inclusive way forward that respects the will of the people,” he said.

- Bernama

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