The military leader was speaking at the 18th ASEAN Navy Chiefs’ Meeting held in the country’s capital Nay Pyi Taw on Thursday.
Observers described the announcement as timely, coinciding with the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits in Vientiane, Laos, where Myanmar’s ongoing crisis is a key topic of debate.
Myanmar sent its Ministry of Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary to attend the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Vientiane.
At the navy chiefs’ gathering, Aung Hlaing said: “Maritime collaboration in the ASEAN region needs to cooperate in conducting rehearsals for preparedness against natural disasters, exchange of experiences in rescue, relief, and rehabilitation for loss and cooperation among ASEAN navies at the time of natural disasters.”
Myanmar has been rocked by instability since the military coup in February 2021 that nudged out the civilian government, eventually leading to infighting and an exodus of refugees from the Southeast Asian country.
Peace talks with the ruling military and ASEAN representatives hit a deadlock as the junta leaders did not agree on the peace plan proposed by the 10-member regional bloc, which was spearheaded by Indonesia.
While ASEAN failed to push the diverse “Five-Point Consensus” agenda to overcome the crisis, violent conflicts and humanitarian suffering escalated since the coup.
The proposed plan includes the appointment of a special envoy, allowing ASEAN humanitarian aid, stopping all violence, and inter-party dialogues and permitting the special envoy to visit Myanmar for meetings with all parties.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan told Malaysian media that he will take the initiative to hold discussions with his Myanmar counterpart, U Than Swe, regarding the crisis in the country.
“This is a very positive development because previously, they completely shut the door and were unwilling to negotiate at all,” he said.
