Australia to skip ASEAN counter-terrorism meeting in Moscow, co-chaired by Myanmar

Australia will for the first time skip ASEAN counter-terrorism working group meeting co-chaired by Myanmar and Russia.

Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Richard Marles. (Photo by Roslan RAHMAN / AFP)

Australia will for the first time ever skip an ASEAN counter-terrorism working group meeting next month to be co-chaired by Myanmar and Russia and held in Moscow, defence officials have told The Australian.

Former defence minister Peter Dutton chose to attend at least two meetings of the ASEAN plus Expert Working Group on Counter Terrorism virtually last year, drawing scathing criticism that he was legitimising the Myanmar military junta that ousted the elected civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.

The group comprises all ten Association of Southeast Asian Nations plus Australia, US, Japan, China, Russia, New Zealand, India and South Korea.

Mr Dutton’s attendance, and those of defence officials at lower level meetings, was justified by the former government which highlighted the importance of continued regional counter-terrorism engagement and the fact that Australia had never missed a meeting in 11 years.

But next month’s talks – a technical meeting at officials’ level – will be the first since Russia’s brutal and ongoing invasion of Ukraine in February, which has prompted western nations, including Australia, to impose hundreds of sanctions against senior Russian officials, its military and associated businesses.

In contrast, Australia has imposed no new sanctions on Myanmar since the February 2021 military coup that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and sparked a deadly security crackdown on mass opposition to the junta.

In response to written questions from The Australian to Defence Minister Richard Marles office, a defence department spokesperson said the new government had ruled out sending any officials, either virtually or in person, to next month’s meeting.

“Australia is not attending the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus Experts’ Working Group on Counter-Terrorism in Moscow on 20-21 July,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson did not clarify whether Mr Marles also intended to skip future ministerial-level meetings.

As joint chairs of the counter-terrorism working group since January 2021, the Myanmar and Russian militaries organise field training and tabletop counter terrorism exercises with all member nations of the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting-Plus.

The decision to keep Australian officials out of the counter-terrorism meeting has been welcomed by Myanmar activists, though it’s unclear whether it was Myanmar’s participation or Russia’s that has prompted the Australian boycott.

“Countries that may still participate, which include ASEAN members, NZ and the US, are emboldening the Myanmar military which continues to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity with total impunity,” Justice for Myanmar’s Yadanar Maung told The Australian.

“Australia should now encourage ASEAN to stop inviting representatives of the junta to the meetings, and boycott when the junta is included. This principled stance from Australia is positive and should be followed with targeted sanctions against the junta and its business interests.”

Australia has continued to engage at a law enforcement level over the prevention of transnational crimes _ including drug smuggling, people smuggling and terrorism _ with the Myanmar junta which has killed 2007 civilians since the February 2021 coup and continues to detain 11,174, including Australian economics professor Sean Turnell.

But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has added a new level of complexity to the dilemma over how to continue to fight transnational terrorism without lending legitimacy to two nations now widely accused of mounting state sponsored terrorism

Australian Defence department cables obtained under Freedom of Information by Justice for Myanmar earlier this year revealed government concern that the Myanmar junta was using its co-chairmanship of the counter-terrorism committee to push for civilian groups opposed to the junta to be proscribed as terrorist organisations.

Russia and Myanmar have also used the counter-terrorism expert working group to provide diplomatic cover for each other.

An email of talking points ahead of a December meeting in the Myanmar capital Naypyitaw revealing that Moscow had “objected to the amendments to the June record calling on Myanmar to cease violence’.