WASHINGTON (Washington Insider Magazine) – The White House announced Saturday that President Joe Biden will welcome leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for a conference in Washington next month.
According to ABC NEWS, the May 12-13 event is intended to underscore the United States’ determination to become a regional partner.
The summit was originally scheduled for March 28-29, however the regional bloc of nations known as ASEAN requested a rescheduling owing to time constraints among several of its member nations.
The summit will mark the 45th anniversary of the United States’ relationship with the ASEAN member countries. Following Biden’s attendance at an October 2021 event, when he committed $102 million in new programmes to assist these nations with COVID-19, economic growth, climate change, gender equality, and health security, the summit will take place.
Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand are the ten members of ASEAN.
Its leaders have been at conflict over Myanmar, which was ravaged by violent turmoil since the army deposed Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratic administration in February last year.
ASEAN is working to put into action a 5-point strategy for Myanmar that was agreed upon last year and emphasizes diplomacy, humanitarian aid, and also an end to conflict. However, Myanmar’s governing military regime has postponed the plan’s execution, despite the fact that the nation has devolved into a civil conflict, according to some UN officials.
As a result of Myanmar’s lack of compliance, ASEAN barred its leader, Senior General. Min Aung Hlaing, from joining its annual summit conference last year, an extraordinary measure for an organization whose representatives have usually shunned public criticism and functioned by agreement.
It has adopted a similar stance for future sessions, stating that Myanmar will only be allowed to send non-political officials.
Last month, Biden met with Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for meetings in which he attempted to reassure Singapore as well as other Pacific nations that the government remained committed to the area, even as it works with Europe and other partners to halt Russia’s attack in Ukraine.
