Vietnam offers to host peace talks for Myanmar crisis
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh announced Vietnam’s readiness to mediate peace talks in Myanmar during his meeting with United Nations Special Envoy on Myanmar Julie Bishop in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday.
PM Chinh emphasized that Vietnam closely follows developments in Myanmar and hopes for the country to soon stabilize for the benefit of its people, the region, and the world, according to Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He reaffirmed Vietnam’s consistent stance of respecting Myanmar’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.
Vietnam opposes sanctions or blockades that adversely affect the lives of Myanmar’s citizens.
The top Vietnamese official stressed that Myanmar’s challenges must be resolved by its people through compromise, agreement, and the involvement of all relevant parties.
The prime minister called for cooperation and shared responsibility to bring peace and stability to Myanmar’s people.
He affirmed Vietnam’s willingness to leverage its reputation and relationships to support peace and stability in Southeast Asia and pledged to work closely with the United Nations to achieve this goal.
He offered Vietnam as a neutral venue for dialogue, expressing its readiness to facilitate meetings among stakeholders to find solutions to the Myanmar issue.
The top official also highlighted ASEAN’s central role in fostering dialogue and reconciliation in Myanmar.
He shared Vietnam and ASEAN’s efforts to promote peace and coordinate with all parties involved in the conflict.
In response, Bishop commended Vietnam’s significant role in the region and shared her assessment of the current situation in Myanmar.
She outlined the United Nations’ initiatives, including resolutions from the UN General Assembly and Security Council, as well as plans for a conference addressing the Rohingya crisis and the situation in Rakhine State.
She welcomed PM Chinh’s proposals and pledged to work closely with ASEAN to facilitate dialogue among Myanmar’s stakeholders, aiming for a peaceful resolution.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since 2021, following a military coup that ousted the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.
The situation has escalated with ethnic armed groups and opposition forces launching attacks on the military regime.
PM Chinh’s meeting with the UN special envoy was part of his official visit to Switzerland to attend the 55th Annual Meeting of the WEF in Davos and engage in bilateral activities in the European country from January 20 to 23.
By Hong Ngan & Duy Linh – Tuoi Tre News – January 23, 2025