The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity due to a lack of authorization to discuss the issue publicly.ĪSEAN foreign ministers were meeting in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh on Thursday to discuss regional issues, including Myanmar. One of the two diplomats who spoke with the AP said ASEAN member states were individually assessing New Zealand’s action and may announce their position soon. It remains unclear if other leading countries included in the RCEP, such as Japan, Australia and the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which have also expressed alarm over Myanmar, would follow suit. The punitive action underscores the growing fallout from the Myanmar crisis into the economic and diplomatic spheres. “New Zealand remains gravely concerned at the situation in Myanmar and continues to call for the immediate cessation of violence and for the release of all those arbitrarily detained by the military regime,” the spokesperson said. It also placed a travel ban on Myanmar’s generals.Īsked by the AP for comment, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said “New Zealand has maintained a principled stance on Myanmar, and this includes our position that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership does not apply between New Zealand and Myanmar at this time.” New Zealand was among Western nations that quickly opposed the takeover, suspending all military and high-level political contacts with Myanmar and calling on army leaders to immediately release all political leaders and restore civilian rule. Suu Kyi, 76, remains in detention with other ousted officials and faces a raft of charges that human groups say are baseless. About 1,500 civilians have been killed by security forces, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. 1 last year in a takeover that sparked widespread street protests and civil disobedience. Myanmar’s army wrested power from Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in Feb. It’s not immediately clear if New Zealand’s action would lead to Myanmar’s exclusion from RCEP.
REARRANGE BLOCS BLOCS APP FREE
Two Asian diplomats told The Associated Press that New Zealand notified other members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which includes China but not the United States, that it would not recognize Myanmar’s “instrument of ratification” - the key document binding a country to the free trade pact - because it opposes its military-led government. BANGKOK (AP) - New Zealand said Thursday it will not deal with Myanmar under a major 15-nation trade agreement, the world's largest that took effect this year, citing the deadly violence and democratic setbacks in the Southeast Asian country after the military seized power last year.
0 kommentar(er)
