JAKARTA: Indonesia’s top diplomat made a visit to Myanmar on June 8, the latest foreign minister from an Asean country to visit Naypyidaw as the grouping rethinks how best to engage the conflict-mired country.
The visit of Indonesia Foreign Minister Sugiono, the first official trip by an Indonesian minister to Myanmar since the 2021 military coup, has raised eyebrows, given Jakarta’s longstanding position as one of Asean’s strongest advocates for holding the military regime to account.
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But analysts told The Straits Times that the visit does not mark a major shift in Indonesia’s stance. Instead, it reflects a broader reassessment within Asean of how best to engage Myanmar.
“It could be seen as a pragmatic recalibration,” said Joanne Lin, senior fellow and coordinator of the Asean Studies Centre at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute.
“Jakarta’s move reflects a broader recognition that isolation alone has not delivered meaningful progress,” she added.
“While Indonesia remains supportive of the Asean 5PC, what appears to be changing is the emphasis,” she added, referring to Asean’s Five-Point Consensus, the group’s peace road map adopted in 2021.
During the visit to Naypyidaw, Sugiono conveyed a message from President Prabowo Subianto reaffirming Indonesia’s support for an inclusive and sustainable peace process in Myanmar, Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry said.
Reiterating Jakarta’s support for the peace plan, he said Indonesia was ready to work with stakeholders in Myanmar to encourage dialogue and a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
He later described his discussions with junta chief-turned-president Min Aung Hlaing as having taken place in a “cordial, positive, open and constructive atmosphere”.
Several Asean countries had already engaged Myanmar’s military leadership in recent months.
Thailand’s Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow visited Naypyidaw in April and has publicly offered to act as a bridge between Myanmar and Asean, while Malaysia’s top diplomat Mohamad Hasan travelled there in May as part of efforts to reassess the group’s approach.
