Indonesia Using 'Quiet Diplomacy' In Talks With Myanmar's Political Forces - President

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th March, 2023) Indonesia is holding confidential talks with various parties in Myanmar in hopes of helping resolve the crisis in the fellow ASEAN member country, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said Wednesday, noting that such efforts would take time.

"We have been working on this. It is just that a lot of the work is behind the scenes, but there is some work that is going on," Widodo told The Straits Times.

Engaged in what many have labeled "quiet diplomacy," Indonesia's leader believes that this approach helps to resolve pressing issues more efficiently, as solutions are being negotiated without the pressure of publicity.

Widodo pledged that Indonesia, as this year's ASEAN chair, would do its best to improve the situation in Myanmar, prioritizing the peace plan to which Myanmar has agreed, as cited in the report.

He also noted that ASEAN would strive to remain a peaceful and neutral region, especially at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions between superpowers.

In February 2021, the military seized power in Myanmar using a constitutional mechanism for transferring powers in an emergency situation. The military's actions spurred major civil unrest which resulted in an estimated 1,500 casualties, with more than 12,000 people arrested and 500,000 people internally displaced. Since then, the humanitarian situation in the country has been deteriorating, with millions of people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.

Following the coup, ASEAN banned Myanmar's military authorities from its summits to force them to abide by the peace plan known as the Five-Point Consensus.