ANKARA

The head of the military junta in Myanmar has agreed to support peace efforts of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the country, an official statement said.

This came during a meeting between Min Aung Hlaing and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who was on a visit to Myanmar.

According to a joint statement issued following their meeting, the Myanmar military junta leader said he “welcomed” the participation of the special envoy of the ASEAN chair on Myanmar to join cease-fire talks.

The Myanmar military, known locally as the Tatmadaw, launched a military coup in February last year and jailed the National League for Democracy (NLD) leadership led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi who was sentenced last month to four years in jail.

According to the Myanmar-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, some 1,447 people were killed and nearly 8,500 demonstrators arrested in the military’s brutal crackdown on mass protests and rebellion against their rule.


The military leader said his government had “declared a five-month ceasefire … until the end of February 2022 and decided to further extend it until end of the year.

According to the statement, he said that he will facilitate the ASEAN special envoy's visit to the country and meetings with the all parties concerned, including ethnic groups.

Hun Sen, for his part, emphasized that a complete peace and national reconciliation cannot be achieved without participation and agreement of the all parties involved.