Hanoi (VNA) – Myanmar and other ASEAN countries will join maritimedrills with the US in the Gulf of Thailand next week, although there are USsanctions against a number of high-raking officials of the Myanmar army.
Myanmar was invited to the event as a representative of the Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said Zaw Min Tun, a spokesman for thecommander-in-chief's office in Myanmar, on August 28.
The official further stressed that theUS sanctions are against individuals while the event is to manifest thecoordination between the ASEAN and the US.
The exercises will take place from September 2 to 6 as part of an agreementbetween ASEAN and US defense ministers struck in 2018.
ASEAN groups 10 member countries, namelyBrunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines,Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.-VNA