In this Sept. 30, 2019, file photo, Dato Erywan Pehin Yusof, Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade of Brunei, addresses the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. (AP Photo)
KUALA LUMPUR--Southeast Asian foreign ministers on Wednesday picked Brunei Second Foreign Minister Erywan Yusof as their special envoy to Myanmar, in a breakthrough for regional mediation aimed at ending the country's deepening crisis after months of delay.
The foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asians said Erywan will begin his work in Myanmar to “build trust and confidence with full access to all parties concerned."
The 10-nation bloc has been under increasing international pressure to act on violence and instability in Myanmar, an ASEAN member. Myanmar's military in February toppled the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and cracked down on opponents.