PUBLISHED ONJuly 13, 2026 2:13 AMBYSean LerForeign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) met with their Myanmar counterpart in Bangkok on Sunday (July 12), with the ministers reaffirming the central importance of the Five-Point Consensus (5PC) peace plan, and the need for "demonstrable progress" to be made, said Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan.
Tin Maung Swe, who was appointed foreign minister by junta chief Min Aung Hlaing after the country held what many described as a fraudulent election, provided the foreign ministers with an update on developments in Myanmar, in his capacity as a "senior representative" of the Myanmar government.
The meeting was reportedly the first in-person engagement between Asean foreign ministers and Myanmar's top diplomat since a 2021 military coup.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Dr Balakrishnan stated that Asean's foreign ministers had reaffirmed the central importance of the 5PC, saying it "It was and it remains valid".
"The next point is that all of us want to see demonstrable progress," Dr Balakrishnan added.
He said the bloc called for concrete and measurable steps towards the implementation of the 5PC, including the permanent cessation of violence, release of all political prisoners such as Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as safe and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid across Myanmar.
Asked if inviting Myanmar would set a dangerous precedent before any progress has been made, Dr Balakrishnan explained that engagements do not just include the military authorities in Nay Pyi Taw.
"We are also engaging a wide variety of Ethnic Armed Organisations and the People’s Defence Force.
"It is a very complicated situation in Myanmar. The key point is Asean wants to engage across the board, widely and in an inclusive manner."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a separate statement on Sunday that Singapore is disappointed with the "limited progress" made in the implementation of the 5PC, stressing the importance of constructive dialogue amongst all of Myanmar's key stakeholders to achieve a peaceful and durable resolution of the crisis.
MFA added that Dr Balakrishnan had also engaged these "key stakeholders" as the incoming Asean chair.
Myanmar's leadership has been banned from top-level Asean meetings over their failure to implement the 5PC peace plan agreed with the bloc, which has made scant progress.
Philippine Foreign Minister Maria Theresa Lazaro, explaining the Asean foreign ministers' decision to meet informally with their Myanmar counterpart, said: "It can't be done in one stroke. It's evolving and I think all of these engagements are very important."
Meanwhile, a statement by 20 political and ethnic minority groups in Myanmar released on Sunday expressed concern about Asean meeting with the foreign minister of a country that was rejecting its peace initiative, and said the bloc was not engaging sufficiently with other stakeholders.
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