Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro speaks to reporters following a press conference at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting Retreat in Cebu, Philippines, on Thursday. (AP)
On January 29, as the initial foreign ministers meeting under the Philippines chairmanship convened, Philippine Foreign Secretary Lazaro stated that 11 member states agreed to ‘not endorse the three phases of elections’. The move has been interpreted as an ASEAN refusal to recognise Myanmar’s controversial election, which saw the junta-allied Union Solidarity and Development Party’s victory. However, some sources reported that member states were still divided in this matter.
The announcement was unprecedented as, due to ASEAN’s non-interference principle, the regional bloc rarely comments on its member states’ domestic matters, let alone explicitly withholds recognition of them. It is even more surprising given FM Lazaro’s recent meeting with Myanmar’s ruling junta government.
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