Myanmar violence, Ukraine war loom over Asean meetings

Cambodia's Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn (left) speaks next to Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi (centre) and Brunei Second Minister of Foreign Affairs Erywan Yusof at a meeting with the AseanIntergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) representatives during the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Phnom Penh on Tuesday, August 2, 2022. - AFP

PHNOM PENH, Aug 2 (AP): South-East Asian foreign ministers are gathering in the Cambodian capital for meetings addressing persisting violence in Myanmar and other issues, joined by top diplomats from the United States, China, Russia and other world powers amid tensions over the invasion of Ukraine and concerns over Beijing’s growing ambitions in the region.

The meeting in Phnom Penh of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) will see US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov together at the same venue for the second time in a month, though it's not clear whether the two will meet.