President invites EAOs to peace talks without preconditions

President U Min Aung Hlaing, Chairman of the Central Committee for the Development and Implementation of Border Areas and National Races, has reiterated his government's invitation to ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) to engage in peace talks without any preconditions, saying that genuine willingness is the key to achieving peace.

Speaking at a meeting of the Central Committee held at the Presidential Palace in Nay Pyi Taw on the afternoon of June 26, the President said his government remains committed to restoring peace and accelerating national development.

He said reducing disparities in border and ethnic areas requires lasting peace and stability, adding that the government had pledged to make every effort to achieve peace within five years of taking office. He noted that peace talks were also included in the government's 100-day plan and stressed that the invitation to EAOs was made without any prior conditions.

"The invitation has no preconditions. We invite them to come and discuss peace," the President said. "If they truly want peace, they can come today. If they do not want peace, they will continue to find reasons to delay it. We sincerely want peace and are ready to discuss it without any restrictions."

The President said his government is pursuing every available channel to achieve peace, emphasizing that continued political and armed conflicts remain major obstacles to national progress. He added that resolving these conflicts is essential for Myanmar to move forward with development.

He also stressed that improving the socio-economic conditions of people in border areas is a public priority. Creating employment opportunities, strengthening local economies and narrowing development gaps among ethnic communities would help reduce migration and improve livelihoods, he said.

The President called for parallel efforts to promote peace and regional development, emphasizing the need to improve education, healthcare, transportation, communications, food security and local production. He urged regional and state governments to work together with the Union Government to enhance human resources and ensure effective implementation of development projects.

He noted that many border areas remain difficult to access because of poor transportation, challenging terrain, sparse populations and language barriers, while decades of armed conflict have hindered development in education, healthcare and the economy.

Reviewing the country's peace process, the President said the Tatmadaw assumed State responsibilities in 1988 after the government lost control of the political situation and later committed to implementing a multiparty democratic system. He said ceasefire agreements reached with some ethnic armed groups beginning in 1989 helped facilitate regional development, while efforts were also made to integrate armed groups into the State's defence system, although not all accepted the proposal.

He added that during the first democratic government formed in 2010, multiple rounds of peace negotiations were held, leading to the signing of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with several ethnic armed organizations despite various challenges. Those agreements enabled development assistance to reach some ethnic areas. However, peace efforts during the second democratic government that took office in 2015 were unsuccessful, resulting in continued delays to development in conflict-affected regions.

The President said the current government's political vision is to build a stable and peaceful democratic nation, strengthen a genuine and disciplined multiparty democratic system, and establish a Union based on democracy and federalism. Achieving those goals, he said, requires accelerated development in areas that have long lagged behind.

The meeting was attended by Vice Chairmen of the Central Committee U Nyo Saw and Daw Nan Ni Ni Aye, Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Services General Ye Win Oo, Union ministers, the Chairman of the Nay Pyi Taw Council, regional and state chief ministers, the Chief of the General Staff (Army, Navy and Air), senior military officers, deputy ministers and other officials.