Myanmar’s National Unity Government (NUG) held a productive exchange of perspectives with former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a virtual meeting on 27 April, according to a press release on 30 April.

Ban visited Naypyidaw to talk with the Myanmar military junta and its leader Min Aung Hlaing on 23-24 April. The member of The Elders group came in for criticism over his visit.

The following is an edited version of the NUG statement:

• Deputy Minister U Moe Zaw Oo of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the National Unity Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar had a virtual meeting with Mr Ban Ki-moon, Deputy Chair of the Elders and former Secretary-General of the United Nations on 27th April 2023.
• The meeting centred around Mr Ban Ki-moon’s recent visit to Myanmar and involved a productive exchange of perspectives on how to effectively move forward to address the current crisis facing Myanmar.
• In the meeting, Deputy Minister U Moe Zaw Oo expressed his appreciation for the insights shared by Mr Ban Ki-moon, particularly on the significance of finding “a path to an end to violence” and “the importance of all parties playing a role in securing a lasting solution, including the National Unity Government”. Despite Mr Ban Ki-moon’s sincere intentions for his recent visit to Myanmar, Deputy Minister expressed his concern that the junta may seek to exploit this visit for their own advantage. Accordingly, he requested that any further visits to Myanmar be made in consultation with important stakeholders in Myanmar, including the National Unity Government. The Deputy Minister also pointed out that the military junta has no right to hold elections and that elections should be conducted according to the newly drafted constitution that is acceptable to all stakeholders and to all ethnic groups in Myanmar. Furthermore, the Deputy Minister underscored the need for more coordinated pressure and sanctions from the international community on the military junta which has failed to abide by the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus and the Security Council Resolution 2669.
• The meeting concluded with an agreement to establish a collaborative working relationship to discuss potential pathways towards resolving the ongoing crisis in Myanmar.