KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia will express solidarity with the people of Myanmar during the 77th session of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) from September 19 to 26, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah in his Facebook post today.
Myanmar will be highlighted in several meetings specific to the country and at other meetings, apart from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s address on September 23 when Malaysia’s perspective on the country will be delivered.
On September 19, he said, Malaysia will host a meeting with the deputy foreign minister of the National Unity Government (NUG), chairperson of the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, representative of the National Unity Consultative Council, Myanmar’s (NUG-appointed) permanent representative to the UN.
The specific meetings on Myanmar include those with the European Union high representative for foreign affairs on September 20; Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Contact Group on Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar on September 21; and the Informal Asean Foreign Ministers Meeting on September 22.
Saifuddin said Malaysia will also share its perspective at the High-Level Meeting to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the Adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities on September 21; the Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement on September 21; and other bilateral meetings throughout the week.
“Malaysia will listen to the updates on what is really happening in Myanmar from the representatives of the people of Myanmar, exchange notes, and discuss the next steps (led by the people of Myanmar), and how Malaysia can be of assistance,” he said.
Saifuddin said Malaysia will propose to Asean, among others, to review the current humanitarian aid run by the task force that includes the junta.
“Support the NGOs (including at the borders and within Myanmar) who are doing very well in vaccination programmes and delivering humanitarian aid, bearing in mind that there are NGOs which do not want to work with the junta or receive fundings from parties that work with the junta, and that there are parties which do not want to fund actors working with the junta,” he said.
Between the UNGA and the Asean summit in November 2022, he said Malaysia will also ask Asean to seriously review if the Five Point Consensus is still relevant and if it should be replaced with something better.
He said the Asean secretariat and foreign ministers (FMs) should prepare the groundwork so that the leaders can make the necessary decision in November, and not to wait until the leaders task the secretariat and FMs to do something.
“Malaysia will also highlight the plight of the Rohingyas and the funding needed for the children’s education programmes in Bangladesh, Malaysia, etc,” said Saifuddin. – Bernama, September 17, 2022
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