Riyaz ul Khaliq
15 November 2026•Update: 15 November 2026
The leaders of the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Sunday held discussions on the situation in Myanmar, seeking “practical” ways forward.
Citing ASEAN leaders’ affirmation of continued engagement with Myanmar, which has seen heightened internal ethnic tensions since a 2021 miliary coup, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the Buddhist-majority nation remains an “integral part of ASEAN.”
The Southeast Asian bloc has disallowed Myanmar’s leaders from attending its annual summits following the coup, which ousted the elected government of the National League for Democracy. Instead, senior Foreign Ministry officials have been representing Myanmar at the ASEAN gatherings.
“We agreed to continue constructive and principled engagement with Myanmar while staying true to the principles of the five-point consensus,” Marcos told his 10 counterparts from the bloc.
However, he added, “we need to ask ourselves, what more can we do for Myanmar?”
Following the coup, ASEAN had issued a Five-Point Consensus on Myanmar.
“Ultimately, the crisis in Myanmar is about people, families who have been displaced, communities that need humanitarian assistance, and young people whose future has been interrupted by conflict and instability,” said Marcos.
“Myanmar is not merely an issue on ASEAN's agenda. Myanmar is part of our Asian ASEAN family.”
“In this regard, I hope our session leads to practical and forward-looking discussions on how we can further advance the implementation of the five-point consensus, make our efforts more responsive to the realities of the ground, and support a peaceful, inclusive, Myanmar-owned and Myanmar-led process,” he said as the ASEAN leaders sat down for closed-door conversations in Manila, the Philippines’ capital.
Under the consensus, ASEAN provides humanitarian assistance to Myanmar through its Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management, while the bloc’s special envoy was assigned to undertake visits to Myanmar to “meet with all parties concerned.”
Myanmar’s military has also forced out over a million native Rohingya community members since 2017, and the ASEAN leaders are expected to deliberate on the issue.
ASEAN is holding its 49th summit and related meetings in Manila as Philippines is set to hand over the chair to Singapore on Tuesday, at the end of the three-day summit.
The bloc is scheduled to hold separate summits with China, Japan, Australia, India, South Korea and the US during the three-day gathering.
US President Donald Trump is expected to arrive Tuesday.
The bloc was founded in 1967, with Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Timor-Leste as its 11 members.
