Myanmar unity government says it must be part of any ASEAN bid to end crisis

FILE PHOTO: Anti-government protesters hold placards to show their support and welcome the new National Unity Government found by ousted NLD legislators and call to continue strike from traditional new year in Myanmar, in Yangon, Myanmar, April 17, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer/

(Reuters) -Myanmar's newly formed government of national unity urged neighbouring countries to not recognise the junta that seized power in February and to negotiate with it instead as part of any attempt to solve the crisis that began with the coup.

The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been trying to find a way out of the bloody turmoil that has racked fellow member Myanmar since the military ousted an elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1.