Vietnam border, seas, islands

Jakarta, Fenruary 22 (VNA) - The “5-point consensus” (5PC) of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to end political instability in Myanmar is an important solution that has been approved by ASEAN leaders, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has said.

Speaking after her talks with Chinese counterpart Qin Gang in Jakarta on February 22, Retno said as ASEAN chair, Indonesia will embark on engagements with all stakeholders in Myanmar, with the one goal of opening up a possibility of an inclusive national dialogue with Myanmar.

Myanmar fell into a economic and political stalemate since early 2021 after the military arrested government leaders, regional and state governors and senior members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party.

Indonesia is working with other ASEAN member countries to call on the Myanmar military junta to fully implement the 5PC. The consensus remains the only formal diplomatic process to resolve the crisis in Myanmar.

At the meeting with Chinese official, Retno also mentioned negotiations on a code of conduct (COC) for the East Sea, saying that negotiations on this issue have been carried out for the past two decades and will be intensified in the coming time.

Indonesia is preparing to hold a round of negotiations on the code this year, with the first starting in March, she said, adding that Indonesia and ASEAN would like to produce an effective, substantive and actionable COC.

For his part, Qin Gang said China highly values the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, noting that his country supports Indonesia's ASEAN Chairmanship 2023 and initiatives the Southeast Asian nation has proposed in the ASEAN agenda./.