Myanmar handed over ASEAN chairmanship
Myanmar was formally handed over the chairmanship of ASEAN at the 23rd ASEAN Summit in Brunei on October 10. The country will take on its duty by January 1, 2014.
This is the first time for Myanmar to assume a leadership role in the ASEAN regional bloc in 17 years of its membership with the association.
Myanmar became an ASEAN member in 1997 and has had to wait the longest period in the association’s history to serve as chair which alternates among the 10 Southeast Asian member states each year. The country had an opportunity to serve the ASEAN chair in 2006, but had to give up the chance as ASEAN feared possible protests from the US and Europe who still had economic and political sanctions against the military government.
Despite concerns over Myanmar’s sketchy human rights record, ASEAN member are confident that it is capable of being an effective chair in 2014. The members had not pressed Myanmar on sectarian clashes between Buddhists and Muslims that are estimated to have killed hundreds and displaced more than 150, 000 people since violence erupted last year, said ASEAN Secretary-General Le Luong Minh on the sidelines of the summit.
“Myanmar is a nation of 60 million and we are in no shortage of political will or human resources to handle the responsibilities that will come along with ASEAN Chairmanship,” said Yin Yin Myint, Myanmar’s ambassador to Brunei.
“It will be an event for the new Myanmar to showcase its wide ranging reforms and democratic values and practices it has chosen to embrace,” he added.
Myanmar was formally handed over the chairmanship of ASEAN at the 23rd ASEAN Summit in Brunei on October 10. The country will take on its duty by January 1, 2014. This is the first time for Myanmar to assume a leadership role in the ASEAN regional bloc in 17 years of its membership with the association. Myanmar became an ASEAN member in 1997 and has had to wait the longest period in the association's history to serve as chair which alternates among the 10 Southeast Asian member states each year. The country had an opportunity to serve the ASEAN chair...
Myanmar was formally handed over the chairmanship of ASEAN at the 23rd ASEAN Summit in Brunei on October 10. The country will take on its duty by January 1, 2014.
This is the first time for Myanmar to assume a leadership role in the ASEAN regional bloc in 17 years of its membership with the association.
Myanmar became an ASEAN member in 1997 and has had to wait the longest period in the association’s history to serve as chair which alternates among the 10 Southeast Asian member states each year. The country had an opportunity to serve the ASEAN chair in 2006, but had to give up the chance as ASEAN feared possible protests from the US and Europe who still had economic and political sanctions against the military government.
Despite concerns over Myanmar’s sketchy human rights record, ASEAN member are confident that it is capable of being an effective chair in 2014. The members had not pressed Myanmar on sectarian clashes between Buddhists and Muslims that are estimated to have killed hundreds and displaced more than 150, 000 people since violence erupted last year, said ASEAN Secretary-General Le Luong Minh on the sidelines of the summit.
“Myanmar is a nation of 60 million and we are in no shortage of political will or human resources to handle the responsibilities that will come along with ASEAN Chairmanship,” said Yin Yin Myint, Myanmar’s ambassador to Brunei.
“It will be an event for the new Myanmar to showcase its wide ranging reforms and democratic values and practices it has chosen to embrace,” he added.
