ASEAN chair Laos welcomes the presence of Myanmar at regional talks on Monday, where the country's junta leaders remain barred. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Foreign minister Saleumxay Kommasith said ASEAN members were 'a little bit optimistic that the engagement may work'. Myanmar has been riven by conflict following a military coup in February 2021, although the army has suffered setbacks in recent months as armed ethnic groups make gains in the north. Laos is chairing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for the first time since 2016 with the one-party state using the Foreign Minister's "retreat" in picturesque Luang Prabang to urge engagement with Myanmar. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES