Myanmar's junta pledges restoring federal democracy soon

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KUALA LUMPUR -- A Myanmar junta foreign ministry official said Thursday that their government's primary goal is to organize elections as soon as possible and restore federal democracy to the country.

During a press conference on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Myanmar's Director General of ASEAN Affairs Khin Thidar Aye underlined the urgent need for international support, understanding, and backing rather than criticism and pressure.Aye expressed hope that Myanmar could regain its status within ASEAN with other member states and reiterated the call for understanding and support.

Laos, which is chairing ASEAN this year, is hosting the 57th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' meeting and related events from July 24-27. ASEAN has allowed a representative from Myanmar's military council to attend the meetings in Laos at the level of a Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Ministry Aung Kyaw, in addition to the opposition or shadow government Foreign Minister Zaw Min Htut, formed after the military coup in 2021.

Due to escalating turmoil in Myanmar, ASEAN has excluded high-level Myanmar political officials from its meetings, opting instead for non-political representatives from the country.
This means that Myanmar Junta Chief Min Aung Hlaing and Military Foreign Minister Than Swe are barred from attending ASEAN meetings, with the military council beginning to send Foreign Ministry officials as their representatives for the first time in January 2024 after missing previous meetings.

While the military council has pledged to hold new elections following the ousting of the civilian government led by State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, it has maintained a state of emergency since the coup. Violence has intensified as the military struggles to maintain control over Myanmar's border regions against ethnic armed groups fighting in conjunction with the anti-coup People's Defense Forces.