South Korea praises Malaysia's Asean Chair role in Myanmar crisis

New Straits Times

2 days ago

KUALA LUMPUR: South Korea has praised Malaysia's active leadership as Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), highlighting its constructive role in promoting regional peace and stability.
South Korea's Ambassador to Malaysia Yeo Seung Bae said that as Asean organises for peace and stability in Southeast Asia, Malaysia as the chair plays an important and active role, especially in addressing the ongoing crisis in Myanmar.
"Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim visited Bangkok a couple of months ago and met both the military leadership and the opposition leadership.
"By doing this important role as Chair, Malaysia is making a positive contribution to regional peace and stability.
"In that regard, Korea highly appreciates the role of Malaysia, and our government will continue to support Malaysia's active role as the Asean Chair," he told Bernama in an interview recently.
In May 2025, Anwar initiated separate dialogues with Myanmar's junta leader Min Aung Hlaing and the opposition National Unity Government (NUG), marking a significant step towards fostering direct engagement between the conflicting parties.
Subsequently, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said the Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM 2025) held in May also agreed that Asean would undertake internal consultations on the proposal to appoint a permanent Asean Special Envoy on Myanmar for a three-year term, a move aimed at ensuring continuity and sustained engagement in addressing the protracted crisis.
On June 22, Malaysia called for enhanced collaboration between Asean and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to address the deteriorating situation in Myanmar, with a focus on ending violence, alleviating the humanitarian crisis, and supporting long-term peace in the country.
Meanwhile, for the upcoming 58th Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM) this July, Yeo reaffirmed South Korea's role as a responsible member of the international community and a strong supporter of Asean centrality, particularly in Malaysia's efforts to improve the security situation in the region.
Korea is an active member of the East Asia Summit and the Asean Regional Forum, as well as being a key dialogue partner of Asean.
"So definitely our new government places big importance on this July's Foreign Ministers' Meeting," he said.
The 58th Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM) will be held from July 8 to 11, 2025, at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre and will bring together the foreign ministers of all Asean member countries to review Asean's progress and unity, as well as discuss key regional issues.
– Bernama