InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5
JAKARTA -- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Wednesday welcomed the suspension of European Union sanctions against Myanmar, saying it "was the right thing to do at the right time."
EU nations on Monday put a halt to most sanctions against Myanmar for one year to reward a series of dramatic reforms since direct army rule ended last year.
Foreign ministers from the 27-nation bloc agreed a suspension of measures against almost 500 individuals and more than 800 firms in a meeting in Luxembourg.
"All ASEAN member states welcome the suspension of sanctions on Myanmar," said Surin Pitsuwan, head of the 10-member regional bloc that includes Myanmar.
"It is the right thing to do at the right time," Surin said in a statement in the Indonesian capital Jakarta.
The EU decisions are intended to reward Myanmar for reforms in the one-time pariah nation that culminated in opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's election to parliament on April 1.
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