Foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are holding talks in Jakarta. The crisis in Myanmar is high on the agenda.

Indonesia is this year's chair. It called for unity and for the credibility of ASEAN to be maintained in the opening statement on Tuesday. But it refrained from directly mentioning Myanmar.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retono Marsudi said, "We must prove that united we can address existing challenges, while also ready to anticipate and respond to future challenges. This is why long-term ASEAN vision is crucial."

The meeting is being held, even though the bloc has failed to address Myanmar's turmoil. The ASEAN leaders agreed on a so-called 5-Point Consensus two years ago. It called for an immediate end to the violence. It also called for envoys to be sent to mediate negotiations between the junta and pro-democracy camps. The implementation of the consensus has been a condition for restarting talks with the country.

But, NHK has learned that Thailand's foreign minister visited Myanmar on Monday. He met with the junta leader Min Aung Hlaing. Analysts say this move could affect ASEAN's solidarity.

Territorial disputes in the South China Sea are also being discussed. NHK has seen a draft of a joint communique. It reaffirms the need to pursue peaceful resolutions of disputes in accordance with the principles of international law.

The member countries will meet with China on Thursday. They are expected to discuss the Code of Conduct in the disputed sea. It has been under negotiation for years.

A series of meetings will be held during the four-day conference. The event ends on Friday. Among those scheduled to participate are top diplomats from the region and other countries, such as the US and Russia.