AMN/ WEB DESK
Several leaders of the ASEAN regional grouping pulled up Myanmar for abstaining from participating in the summit meeting which opened on Tuesday. Myanmar refused to send any representative to the summit after ASEAN decided to invite a ‘non-political’ representative from Myanmar. The unprecedented step of ASEAN came in the backdrop of Myanmar not allowing the ASEAN special envoy to visit Myanmar as part of the five-point agreement reached during the April meeting of the grouping.
The Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said that ASEAN did not expel Myanmar but Myanmar abandoned its right. He said that now ASEAN is in a position of ASEAN minus one, reports Reuters. He blamed Myanmar for this situation. Cambodia is scheduled to become the Chairman of the group next year.
The Indonesian President Joko Widodo called it an ‘unwelcome attitude’ by Myanmar. Reuters quoted the Indonesian President as saying that it’s important for ASEAN to honour the principles of non-interference but we are also obligated to uphold other principles like democracy, good governance, respect for human rights and a constitutional government.
Earlier, on Monday, the Myanmar Ministry of Foreign Affairs had said that ASEAN’s decision to downgrade the level of its participation in the summit was not in line with the ASEAN Charter or the group’s precedent.