YANGON/BANGKOK -- Myanmar's military government will withdraw from chairing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2026, according to diplomatic sources in the bloc, as the country's prolonged political crisis strains the regional grouping.
With major ASEAN member states refusing to allow the military regime to participate in summits and other meetings, the leadership in Naypyitaw is understood to have decided that it would not be able to act as chair. The military ousted the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021 and has resisted the bloc's efforts to resolve the crisis.
