The National Reconciliation and Peace Centre held a meeting with eight ethnic armed organizations who have not yet signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement on 21 March in Nay Pyi Taw. This was the first meeting between the NRPC and the NCA non-signatories, and hence, an important milestone in our country’s peace process, and a historic step forward.

To establish a democratic federal Union, it is vital that all EAOs first endorse the NCA. With this in mind, the door to peace has been held open for all EAOs since the beginning of the Union Peace Conference – 21st Century Panglong.

In support of this process, the Tatmadaw extended their own announcement on ‘ceasefire and eternal peace’ last year, suspending all military operations in some areas from 21 December, 2018 to 30 April, 2019. The gesture was intended to allow EAOs to conduct peace talks and negotiations with the NRPC. The Tatmadaw said their negotiation team would also participate, if necessary.

It is wonderful to see that all this led to the momentous face-to-face meeting between the NRPC and the eight NCA non-signatories. 

Continued armed conflicts are a testament to the fact that using weapons to resolve issues has never worked. The root causes of our issues are political, and until they can be resolved with solutions that are equally political in nature, the grim cycle of conflict witnessed in the last 70 years will continue.

The 21st Century Panglong has convened thrice during the civilian government’s administration, and has adopted 51 fundamental federal principles. However, there are still EAOs who have not signed the NCA. If all the non-signatory EAOs participate, then the goal of peace that the public has been earnestly wishing for will come within our reach.

The government and the Tatmadaw have always kept the door to peace open so EAOs can join the NCA and the peace process, and everyone will heartily welcome all NCA non-signatories taking this opportunity to do so. We are now seeing a new landscape emerging before us, where we are able to hold honest and transparent discussions on an equal footing. We urge everyone involved to cultivate mutual respect and trust towards each other as they discuss solutions for establishing lasting peace.

We believe that if the NRPC and the representatives of the 8 EAOs hold regular political roundtables, then we will see positive results soon. By pursuing political dialogue, we will be able to reduce ongoing conflicts and alleviate the worries and suffering of our ethnic brothers and sisters.

All we need to do to establish peace is to have a genuine, burning ambition to achieve it. We believe that the government, the Tatmadaw, the NRPC, and the NCA non-signatories will succeed in holding meaningful discussions to create a nation founded on peace.