8th Anniversary NCA: SAC Chairman addresses the anniversary celebration

Myanmar marks the 8th Anniversary of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with a grand ceremony at Myanmar International Convention Center (2) in Nay Pyi Taw on Sunday.

The ceremony commenced with the ribbon-cutting event for inauguration of the 8th Anniversary of the NCA, by the Vice Chairman of the State Administration Council, Deputy Prime Minister Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Servies Commander-in-Chief (Army) Vice Senior General Soe Win, Chairman of the National Solidarity and Peacemaking Negotiation Committee NSPNC Lt-Gen Yar Pyae, Leaders of the Ethnic People Saw Mutu Say Poe and Sao Yawd Serk, a representative of the Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee (JMC) Sai Myo Thant, together with the ethnic people.

Then, the ceremonial arch of the 8th Anniversary NCA was opened by Chairman of the State Administration Council Prime Minister, Chairman of the National Unity and Peacemaking Central Committee Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.

After the ceremony, the Prime Minister and party visited the commemorative booths on display in honour of the 8th Anniversary of Signing the NCA.

In the subsequent ceremony, the Prime Minister delivered an inaugural speech, recounting the call for peace by the first multi-party democratic government is to build sustainable peace based on the NCA and the outcomes of subsequent discussions with the Ethnic Armed Organisations (EAOs). During the NCA negotiation and drafting processes, the EAOs were present there to discuss and negotiate their needs. The government compiled those requests and formalized into a state-level agreement and legalised it. The NCA was concluded with an aim of achieving peace that is prerequisite for the country. As the NCA, ratified by the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw as a Union Accord, will remain in force eternally and not subject to nullification, the Tatmadaw attaches great importance to the implementation of the NCA agreement.

The Prime Minister added that Myanmar has been inflicted by internal armed conflicts for over 75 years which emerged together with the independence. Understanding the past experiences will come to realise the weak points of the present time which will also be helpful for the future.

He stressed that the internal armed conflicts were caused not by using political means but by taking arms in settling the political differences. The current circumstances in the country correspond to the armed conflicts in the aftermath of independence. These actions delay the multi-party democracy system aspired by the Myanmar people and support the dictatorship which is democracy in name only.

He urged everyone to be aware of that, and pledged that the government will definitely continue to strive for the genuine disciplined multi-party democractic system aspired by the people. He added that the political aim today is to establish a Union based on democracy and federalism. The EAOs were invited to make peace negotiations and peace dialogues were held with ten EAOs. Three rounds of peace dialogues were convened with ten EAOs from May 2022 to February 2023. These peace talks resulted in four common agreements: Cooperating in consolidation of the multi-party democratic political system; Building a Union based on democracy and federalism, aspired by the entire ethnic people; Cooperating in the realisation of peace and development of the Union; and Cooperating in the areas of prevalence of rule of law and stability and contesting in a free and fair multi-party democratic general election.

Moreover, the National Solidarity and Peacemaking Negotiation Committee, which is a dialogue mechanism for peace, held several informal meetings and formal negotiations including video conferencing with the relevant stakeholders. A total of 121 peace talks were held from February 2021 to September 2023, which included 73 peace talks with NCA signatories, 25 with NCA non-signatories, 16 with political parties and 7 with peace facilitator groups.

He continued that the State Administration Council is endeavouring to achieve peace and prosperity for the present and future of the country and people. He called for the entire people to work together and to make relentless efforts, with the spirit of “Keep moving forward to achieve our goal”, as stated in the Five-Point Road Map and the Nine Objectives as well as the NCA for peace and stability of the nation; the NCA signatories to adhere to the NCA commitments with transparency, responsibility and accountability in the implementation of the NCA in order to build perpetual peace; and the NCA non-signatories to come forward to the political negotiation table for the development of the nation and for the uplifting of the socio-economic lives of the people, so that the NCA non-signatories will be able to dedicatedly participate in building a Union based on democracy and federalism.

This was followed by the honorary speeches by Kayin Ethnic Leader Saw Mutu Say Poe, RCSS Chairman Sao Yawd Serk, Special Envoy for Asian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China Mr. Deng Xijun, Deputy National Security Advisor of India Mr. Vikram Misri, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand Mr. Sihasak Phaung Ketkeow and representative of national witness retired Union Minister U Aung Min.

The ceremony ended with the entertainment programs, performed by the national races from Kachin State, Kayah State, Kayin State, Chin State, Mon State, Rakhine State, and Shan State, as well as the staff from Myanma Radio and Television, under the Ministry of Information, and Find Arts Department under the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture.