VIENTIANE: Expectations are high for the 44th and 45th Asean Summits and Related Summits, which will start tomorrow and are hoped to produce a solution to resolve the ongoing conflicts in Myanmar.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said the conflicts in Myanmar have turned the country into a major destination for criminal activities such as drug processing, labour scams, and online gambling, which affect neighbouring countries.
Mohamad said these issues were discussed during the Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting he attended today, ahead of the Asean Summit.
"The internal issues in Myanmar have become a cross-border (problem). Neighbouring countries are facing difficulties due to their internal issues.
"So, we hope that the issues in Myanmar can be addressed collectively by Asean members, based on the Five-Point Consensus (5PC).
"We are adopting the Troika Mechanism (referring to the three countries that hosted Asean last year (Indonesia), this year (Laos) and next year (Malaysia)), which is the main body mandated by Asean to negotiate with Myanmar.
"As such, we urge Myanmar to accept our views promptly. They cannot claim to reject the 5PC as their head of state is also a signatory from 2021," he told Malaysian media after the Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting at the National Convention Center here today (Oct 8).
Mohamad also attended the 28th Asean Political Security Community and the 35th Asean Coordinating Council meeting.
He said today's meeting also discussed Timor Leste's membership in Asean.
"We are working to achieve consensus to ensure Timor Leste can join, as it adds value to the larger Asean family.
"At the same time, there are many things that Timor Leste needs to consider and make various changes at their level, especially in terms of policy," he said.
He said the meeting also covered other issues, such as technology, green technology and cross-border matters, as well as finalising documents to be presented at the Summit.