General Min Aung Hlaing, chairman of the ruling State Administration Council of Myanmar (R), meets with Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen in Nay Pyi Taw on January 7. (Photo: AFP/VNA)   

NDO/VNA – General Min Aung Hlaing, chairman of the ruling State Administration Council (SAC) of Myanmar, declared a five-month ceasefire when meeting with visiting Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen in Nay Pyi Taw on January 7.

Min Aung Hlaing informed Hun Sen that the current Myanmar government had previously declared a five-month ceasefire with all Ethnic Armed Organisations (EAOs) until the end of February 2022 and has now decided to extend it until the end of 2022, according to a joint press statement released by Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on the same day’s night.

Min Aung Hlaing also called on all parties to accept the ceasefire in the interest of the country and people, end all acts of violence and exercise utmost restraint.

Prime Minister Hun Sen, for his part, strongly supported the move with the view to de-escalating tension and enabling constructive dialogues among relevant stakeholders to achieve enduring peace and national development, said the press statement.

Min Aung Hlaing said he welcomed the participation of the ASEAN Special Envoy on Myanmar to join the ceasefire talks with the EAOs.

The two leaders also supported the convening of a meeting among stakeholders such as the ASEAN Special Envoy on Myanmar and the Secretary-General of ASEAN, among others, in providing aid to the people of Myanmar.

They said it was critically important to set up mechanisms and proper facilities for COVID-19 vaccination programme along with the effective provision of humanitarian assistance to the people in need without discrimination.

Cambodia is assuming Chair of ASEAN this year and its Prime Minister Hun Sen has become the first foreign leader to visit Myanmar since February 2021. His two-day visit aims to seek solutions to end the ongoing political crisis in Myanmar.