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Japan tells Indonesia it backs ASEAN's move to send envoy to Myanmar
Motegi was quoted as telling his Indonesian counterpart Retno LP Marsudi that Japan continues to strongly urge Myanmar to release those detained since the Feb. 1 coup and is seeking a dialogue with the junta. The two held talks Monday on the fringes of a foreign ministerial meeting of the Group of 20 major economies taking place Tuesday.
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Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi (left) speaks with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi at a signing ceremony for the (Pool via Reuters/David Mareuil)
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apanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi has expressed support for ASEAN's decision to send a special envoy to Myanmar to help defuse the crisis triggered by the military coup there, according to the ministry.
Motegi was quoted as telling his Indonesian counterpart Retno LP Marsudi that Japan continues to strongly urge Myanmar to release those detained since the Feb. 1 coup and is seeking a dialogue with the junta. The two held talks Monday on the fringes of a foreign ministerial meeting of the Group of 20 major economies taking place Tuesday.
Since the junta ousted the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, more than 800 people have been killed in clashes between protestors and the military.
In late April, leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations held a special meeting on the Myanmar crisis, and reached a "five-point consensus" including the need for an immediate end to violence and the dispatch of an ASEAN special envoy to meet with "all parties concerned."
Motegi and Retno also agreed to continue to closely cooperate over the Myanmar crisis, the ministry said.
Read also: Indonesia reiterates call to appoint ASEAN envoy to Myanmar
Myanmar is one of the 10 members of ASEAN, which also includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Motegi met separately with his Dutch counterpart Sigrid Kaag, with whom he agreed to boost cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, apparently with China's growing assertiveness in the East and South China seas in mind.
The two ministers shared "grave concerns" about any move to change the status quo by force in these waters, while also citing the human rights situations in China's Xinjiang autonomous region and Hong Kong.
Motegi also welcomed the Netherlands' dispatch of a navy frigate to join a British carrier strike group led by the Queen Elizabeth in Indo-Pacific waters, saying it strengthens the Dutch engagement in the region, the ministry said.
