Vientiane: Myanmar's state television and media reported that Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the leader of Myanmar's military junta and current president, made an official visit to the Lao People's Democratic Republic on Friday. This marks the first time a Myanmar leader has visited a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) since assuming the presidency.
According to Thai News Agency, this visit to Laos comes four months after Senior General Min Aung Hlaing's transition from head of the military government to president was completed. Prior to this, he had visited Myanmar's neighbors India and China. Meanwhile, ASEAN, with its 11 member states, has not recognized the results of Myanmar's three-phase elections held between December and January, as the results excluded the main opposition and ended in a landslide victory for the military-backed party.
However, ASEAN leaders have been trying to play a more active role and build greater cooperation with Myanmar since the end of the elections. Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamed Hassan and Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkaew recently visited Naypyidaw, the capital of Myanmar, to open channels for dialogue and jointly resolve the crisis.