Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's meeting with Myanmar's junta chief on Friday and their joint statement issued afterward may cause friction among Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states ahead of the group's first meeting of foreign ministers this year, some officials said Saturday.
In a joint statement with the prime minister of Cambodia, this year's ASEAN chair, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing said he had extended a ceasefire with all armed ethnic minority groups in Myanmar through the end of this year. The ceasefire was originally set to expire at the end of February.
The junta chief also said that he will assure a special ASEAN envoy to Myanmar that he can meet with all parties involved in the country's political turmoil, including the armed ethnic minority groups.