Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister, Retno Marsudi, engaged in discussions concerning the Myanmar crisis with Mirjana Spoljaric, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), during a meeting held on the sidelines of the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Minister Marsudi conveyed Indonesia’s commitment to promote the Five-Point Consensus (5PC) within ASEAN as a key reference for addressing the ongoing Myanmar crisis. Indonesia, as the ASEAN chair in 2023, has taken concrete actions to address the situation, including providing humanitarian aid to Myanmar.
Furthermore, Marsudi emphasized Indonesia’s dedication to assisting Myanmar beyond its ASEAN chairmanship, through the troika mechanism established at the 43rd ASEAN Summit, with Laos, Indonesia’s predecessor, and Malaysia, its successor, ensuring the sustainability of the 5PC implementation.
Mirjana Spoljaric expressed appreciation for Indonesia’s steadfast support for ICRC and looked forward to strengthening cooperation between Indonesia and ICRC.
The Myanmar crisis began with a military coup on February 1, 2021, and has since led to political and economic turmoil, nationwide protests, and violent crackdowns by the military junta.
ASEAN formulated the 5PC in April 2021 as a framework for resolving the crisis but has faced challenges in its implementation, mainly due to the junta’s unwillingness to cooperate. Indonesia, as ASEAN chair, has worked extensively to facilitate dialogue and support the 5PC’s implementation, engaging with various parties in Myanmar.