Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations reaffirmed that the bloc's peace plan drafted in 2021 remains its primary reference for addressing the crisis in Myanmar.

This is according to a statement released over the weekend after the 48th ASEAN summit and related meetings in Cebu, the Philippines, which concluded the previous day.

However, the leaders also said they are deeply concerned about the continued escalation of conflict, the humanitarian situation in Myanmar, and the minimal progress on the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus.

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ASEAN has been working on the basis of a peace plan known as the Five-Point Consensus, which focuses on the cessation of violence, constructive dialogue, the appointment of a special envoy of the ASEAN chair, humanitarian assistance, and the special envoy's visit to Myanmar to meet with all parties.

The ASEAN leaders urged "all parties involved to take concrete action to immediately halt indiscriminate violence" and "exercise utmost restraint".

"We all agree that we would like to see more progress. We all agree that we should try very hard to find ways to shift what has become a moribund process right now," said Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr, as this year's ASEAN chair on Friday.

Myanmar's leadership has been excluded from attending high-level ASEAN meetings since the military ousted the civilian government led by former state counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and took power in 2021. It was represented by its permanent secretary of foreign affairs in the latest meeting.

Noting that many ASEAN members have expressed frustration over the lack of progress in normalizing the situation in Myanmar, Marcos said leaders are trying to find some kind of agreement among member states and that they all agree that more efforts should be put into advancing progress.

Before the ASEAN summit, Myanmar's former military chief Min Aung Hlaing was elected president in a parliamentary vote in early April. Responding to this, ASEAN leaders said in the statement that they "noted the conclusion of the three phases of Myanmar's general elections and the succeeding developments".

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ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn told Reuters on Thursday that the group's foreign ministers had agreed to hold a virtual meeting with their Myanmar counterpart "in the very near future".

In a statement on Monday, the Myanmar Foreign Ministry said the country has exercised patience and continued to cooperate in accordance with its obligations as a member state of ASEAN over the past five years despite facing unequal treatment arising from the positions of certain members.

"Myanmar will continue to pursue peace, stability, prosperity, and the protection of the fundamental rights and interests of the people of Myanmar through a Myanmar-owned and Myanmar-led process aligned with the country's prevailing circumstances," the statement said.

Contact the writers at kelly@chinadailyapac.com