Myanmar’s President Min Aung Hlaing on Friday criticized the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)’s Five-Point Consensus conflict resolution plan, accusing member states of “discriminating” against the country.

The remarks came during a speech to a joint session of parliament marking the first 100 days since the former military chief, who led the 2021 military coup, took office at the head of a military-backed civilian administration.

“The government noted that although some ASEAN member states had, over the past five years, adopted positions and practices that it regarded as discriminatory towards Myanmar, Myanmar had exercised patience and continued to cooperate in accordance with its responsibilities as an ASEAN member state,” Min Aung Hlaing said, according to a transcript of his speech published by the Myanmar News Agency.

The Five-Point Consensus was agreed at a special ASEAN summit in Jakarta in April 2021, just over two months after the military seized power in a coup. Min Aung Hlaing attended the meeting, where ASEAN leaders agreed on five points, including the appointment of a special envoy, an immediate end to violence, access to humanitarian aid, and dialogue among “all parties” to the country’s conflict.

The military junta has done little to implement the most important points of the Consensus, instead choosing to defeat by force the groups opposing military rule, which his regime has characterized as “terrorists.” This prompted the remaining ASEAN member states to bar it from the bloc’s summits in late 2021, a bar which remains in place.

In his speech, Min Aung Hlaing argued further that the Five-Point Consensus was “not the consensus of all ASEAN member states” and that it “was only the statement of the then ASEAN chair, Brunei.” (This remark, reported by Myanmar Now, did not appear in the Myanmar News Agency transcript.)

“The government further stated that it would respond to any discriminatory actions that are not constructive on a case-by-case basis, as necessary,” he added.

This echoed the argument made by Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs last week, when it declared that the Consensus “was attached as an annex” to a statement by the ASEAN chair, “without prior notification and circulation of a draft” to member states. It was therefore “released without reaching a consensus among all Member States.”

Since being anointed president in April, Min Aung Hlaing has pushed hard for full readmission to ASEAN – even as his administration has become more defiant about the Five-Point Consensus. Earlier this month, Myanmar’s pro-military parliament adopted a motion rejecting the Consensus as an unwarranted interference in Myanmar’s internal affairs, and that it “does not align with the current political developments in Myanmar.” In its statement last week, the Foreign Ministry said last week that the government was “obliged to respect” the motion.

ASEAN has shown a greater willingness to engage with Myanmar, and member states like Thailand have advocated bringing it back into the “ASEAN family” – but Philippine Foreign Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro, the current ASEAN special envoy for Myanmar, says that this would require genuine attempts to implement the Five-Point Consensus. Lazaro said last week that Myanmar’s full reintegration with ASEAN was “still far off” due to its lack of compliance with the bloc’s agreement.

Min Aung Hlaing’s comments confirm his government’s determination to pursue its own “solution” to the country’s conflict, which the former general outlined in detail during the course of his speech.

“The government will spend the first two years laying the groundwork and building momentum for the new nation, followed by three years dedicated to accelerating its nation-building efforts,” he said.

The administration will continue to strengthen the power of the armed forces, and will set up a “people’s militia” to help ensure “internal security,” Min Aung Hlaing said. He added that the new-look administration had invited ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) to take part in talks without preconditions and “has so far held discussions with 13 EAOs.”

The administration plans next year to hold by-elections in 172 constituencies that were unable to vote during the three-phase elections held in December and January, and outlined plans to develop the agriculture, education, and tourism sectors.

A key focus of the coming years, Min Aung Hlaing said, was infrastructure development. In particular, he mentioned the Mandalay-Muse railway, linking central Myanmar to the Chinese border, which he said would “greatly enhance Myanmar-China trade and economic cooperation” and an India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway project. He said that the government is currently ​working on 10 power ⁠generation projects, including the controversial Myitsone dam in Kachin State, while pledging to continue efforts “toward the construction of a nuclear power plant.”