ASEAN Chairmanship for 2026: Statement on the Transfer of Myanmar to the Philippines

A statement regarding the transfer of Myanmar's ASEAN Chairmanship for 2026 to the Philippines was released on Saturday.

The statement cited Paragraph 31 of the ASEAN Charter, which stipulates that "the Chairmanship of ASEAN shall rotate annually, based on the alphabetical order of the English names of Member States," and Myanmar is next in line for 2026. To facilitate the necessary preparations, member states are required to confirm their readiness at least two years in advance.

Since Myanmar is currently making efforts to establish a Union based on democracy and a federal system in alignment with the 5-point Road Map, an inquiry was sent to the Philippine Foreign Minister to determine their willingness to assume the ASEAN Chairmanship for 2026.

This matter was also communicated to the current ASEAN Chairman, Indonesia. The Philippines officially responded, expressing their readiness to assume the ASEAN Chairmanship for 2026 and committed to notifying the current Chairmanship and other member states accordingly.

The Philippine Foreign Minister also conveyed their intention to assume the Chairmanship for 2026 instead of 2027 to the Indonesian Foreign Minister and sought consensus from the Chairman and member states.

Following the 43rd ASEAN Summit, a statement was issued regarding the review and decision of ASEAN Leaders on the implementation of the 5-point consensus. Paragraph 15 of the statement stated, "Decide that ASEAN Chairmanship in 2026 shall be assumed by the Philippines, and subsequently, the Chairmanship rotation continue based on alphabetical order, until a different decision is made."

However, certain international media outlets have misinterpreted this issue, leading to inaccurate reporting.

Myanmar's history includes instances of relinquishing the ASEAN Chairmanship, such as in 2006 during the transition to democracy, and shifting its Chairmanship for 2016 to 2014 following negotiations with Malaysia and Laos to prepare for the 2015 general election.

The decision to transfer the Chairmanship for 2026 was also reached after negotiations with the Philippines and with the approval of other member states, taking into consideration Myanmar's current priorities.