ASEAN Says Myanmar's Return to Leadership Meetings Is Far Off

Maria Theresa Lazaro, the Philippines Foreign Minister and ASEAN Special Envoy on Myanmar, announced in Manila on July 23 that the return of Myanmar's leaders to top Association of Southeast Asian Nations meetings is "still far off." The bloc is currently evaluating whether the military-led administration in Myanmar is complying with the Five-Point Consensus peace initiative, which requires humanitarian access, dialogue, and an end to hostilities.

To resolve the impasse, ASEAN plans to establish specific benchmarks to measure progress on the peace roadmap. However, diplomatic efforts face significant hurdles after Myanmar's pro-military parliament passed a motion rejecting the peace plan, describing the initiative as interference.

Lazaro expressed further uncertainty regarding a planned humanitarian mission for later in 2026, noting she does not know if she will be granted access to detained Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. She noted that "there have been a lot of questions on their compliance" regarding the ongoing crisis.