Naypyitaw Myanmar January 8 ANI Myanmar's military leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, has agreed to support the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASEAN peace effort in the country.
Hlaing made a joint statement on Friday after meeting Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who was visiting Myanmar, reported NHK World.
The military leader will help an ASEAN special envoy mediate dialogue between the military and pro-democracy forces, according to the statement.
According to NHK World, a ceasefire with ethnic minority militias will be extended until the end of the year.
Cambodia is the rotating chair of the ASEAN this year. Hun Sen expressed his willingness to bring Myanmar back into the group's summits.
Min Aung Hlaing, who led a coup last February, is currently barred from attending due to the military's continued crackdowns on activists.
Myanmar's military has been hesitant to accept a mediator despite previously expressing support for ASEAN's special envoy to the country and agreeing to a ceasefire.
According to NHK World, ASEAN is expected to talk about ways to deal with Myanmar based on the results of Hun Sen's visit.
Min Aung Hlaing was the one who led a coup against an elected civilian government in February and detained the country's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi over alleged election irregularities.
In August, Min Aung Hlaing declared himself Prime Minister of a newly formed caretaker government. During an address to the nation on August 1, he pledged to hold elections by 2023.
More than 1,000 civilians have been killed by Myanmar security forces and thousands of others have been arrested, according to the United Nations, due to a crackdown on strikes and protests that have hampered the country's tentative democracy and prompted international condemnation.