ASEAN EMERGENCY SUMMIT

Subject : International Relations

Context : ASEAN leaders demand immediate end to ‘unacceptable’ killings in Myanmar, following emergency summit.

Concept :

At the meeting in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) also told Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing that they wanted a commitment from the military chief to restrain his security forces, and for the release of political prisoners.
What’s resulted is a “five-point consensus”, including calls to: end violence immediately; begin dialogue between opposing groups; create an ASEAN chair to facilitate dialogue; give more humanitarian assistance; and allow the ASEAN chair to visit Myanmar.

Association of Southeast Asian Nations

It is a regional grouping that promotes economic, political, and security cooperation.
It was established on 8th August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by the founding fathers of ASEAN, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
Ten Members: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Chairmanship: It rotates annually, based on the alphabetical order of the English names of Member States.
ASEAN countries have a total population of 650 million people and a combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of USD 2.8 trillion. It is India’s 4th largest trading partner with about USD 86.9 billion in trade.
The group has played a central role in Asian economic integration, signing six free-trade agreements with other regional economies and helping spearhead negotiations for what could be the world’s largest free trade pact.