Jakarta. The Philippines will chair ASEAN in 2026 in lieu of the crisis-hit Myanmar, according to Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.

Southeast Asian leaders on Tuesday afternoon gathered in Jakarta for a discussion on the Myanmar crisis.

Retno said that the leaders agreed that Myanmar had shown little progress on the implementation of a peace plan popularly known as “The Five-Point Consensus”. The regional grouping reached a consensus to have the Philippines at ASEAN’s helm in 2026 – a position that was originally meant for Myanmar.

“The Philippines will chair ASEAN in 2026,” Retno told reporters on the sidelines of the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta.

Indonesia claimed it had held 145 engagements with the stakeholders in Myanmar over the past 9 months as chair. In these meetings, Indonesia was hoping to nudge the Myanmar stakeholders, including the junta, into having a constructive dialogue.

Retno said: “This was the most engagements that ASEAN has ever done. It was also the most intensive.”

Retno told the press that ASEAN would stick to only allowing Myanmar to send a “non-political representative” to its regional meetings. 

AFP reported that Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said that it was ready to host the 2026 ASEAN Summit.

"It is my pleasure to announce that the Philippines is ready to take the helm and chair ASEAN in 2026. We will fortify the foundations of our community-building and navigate ASEAN as it embarks on a new chapter," Marcos told ASEAN leaders in Jakarta on Tuesday, as reported by AFP.

Indonesia on Thusrday will hand over its ASEAN rotating chairmanship to Laos who will host the 2024 summit.

Laos will then pass the baton to Malaysia to be the group’s chair in 2025.

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