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EU, ASEAN to Hold First-Ever Joint Summit of Leaders in Brussels on December 14 - Reports

© AP Photo / Bernat ArmangueIn this Nov. 13, 2018, file photo, a worker adjusts the Brunei Darussalam flag prior the 22nd ASEAN coordinating council meeting on the sidelines of the 33rd ASEAN summit in Singapore. China is hosting foreign ministers from 10 Southeast Asian nations amid heightened competition between Beijing and Washington for influence in the region.
In this Nov. 13, 2018, file photo, a worker adjusts the Brunei Darussalam flag prior the 22nd ASEAN coordinating council meeting on the sidelines of the 33rd ASEAN summit in Singapore. China is hosting foreign ministers from 10 Southeast Asian nations amid heightened competition between Beijing and Washington for influence in the region. - Sputnik International, 1920, 23.08.2022
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will gather for the first-ever joint summit of national leaders in Brussels on December 14.
The EU and ASEAN will discuss the expansion of ties between the blocs to counter Russian and Chinese influence in the region, Japanese news agency Nikkei Asia reported on Tuesday, citing an EU official. The two blocs had held joint summits previously but at the levels of chief and senior officials.
However, an EU official told the media that leaders of member countries will take part in the upcoming summit. The official added that the EU would try to prevent Southeast Asian countries from aligning closer to China and Russia.
Myanmar’s military leader Min Aung Hlaing is unlikely to join the summit, given the country's complicated ties with the EU and ASEAN due to a military takeover in February 2021, according to the report.
Supporters of the National Unity Government of Myanmar gather outside of Embassy of Myanmar in DC Image/ MariTi Blaise Lovell - Sputnik International, 1920, 16.08.2022
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Myanmar's Leader Says General Election to Take Place If Situation Stable, Peaceful
In February 2021, the military grabbed power in Myanmar using a constitutional mechanism of transferring powers in an emergency situation. The military arrested government officials, accusing them of rigging the general election, and later appointed a new administration. The military's actions spurred major civil unrest, which has resulted in over 1,600 casualties, with over 12,000 people arrested and 500,000 people internally displaced.
Many Western countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, do not recognize the incumbent military government in Myanmar and are demanding that the country be returned to civilian rule. Myanmar has been facing Western economic sanctions since the takeover.
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