Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, following a meeting in Washington with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, noted that "the political situation in Myanmar shows no signs of improvement since the coup in 2021," a sentiment echoed by Blinken. In a press conference, Balakrishnan stated, “The lack of progress means that the time is not right for high-level engagement with Myanmar's military ruling council,” but he mentioned that “Indonesia, the current chair of ASEAN, is in contact with parties involved regarding Myanmar,” referencing talks including opponents of the coup.
Balakrishnan added, “Ultimately, everyone needs to sit down and negotiate. I do not know how long that will take. The last time a semblance of democratic transition was achieved in Myanmar took 25 years; I hope it will not take that long this time.”
For his part, Blinken agreed with his Singaporean counterpart, affirming that "Washington supports ASEAN’s efforts concerning Myanmar," and added, "It is extremely important that all of us continue to apply suitable ongoing pressure on the military ruling council and, of course, look for ways to engage the opposition." Singapore is a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which has barred Myanmar's military council from attending its high-level meetings following the coup that plunged the country into violence, with the military fighting on multiple fronts to try to crush a pro-democracy armed resistance movement.
