Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said Wednesday there are not many options left for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to help defend Myanmar facing international pressures on the democratic process.

“There is not much of that. The only option is the option that only Myanmar knows,” Wirajuda told a joint press conference with the foreign ministers of Australia, East Timor, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines who joined the so-called “Southwest Pacific Dialogue” in Kuala Lumpur.

“We leave it to Myanmar for them to settle,” he added.

The dialogue was held on the sidelines of a series of ASEAN meetings that have been taking place in the Malaysian capital since Saturday.

ASEAN, which has held sacred the principle of noninterference, has been put on the spot by Myanmar’s junta. After years of pursuing a policy of constructive engagement with Myanmar’s generals, the regional bloc is facing international pressures as its diplomatic efforts have failed to pay off.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar was given the cold shoulder when he visited Yangon in March as ASEAN envoy to prod the generals to loosen their tight grip. Junta leader Sr. Gen. Than Shwe declined to see him, and he was also not allowed to meet detained pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.

“If they don’t want to see us involved in their problems because they said it’s a domestic problem, so be it,” Wirajuda said.

“But at the same time, as we are not equipped with any ammunition, I’m sure Myanmar knows it very well that they cannot invoke ASEAN’s solidarity, they cannot expect much from ASEAN to help them, to defend them,” he added.

In their annual meeting, ASEAN foreign ministers expressed frustration at the slow pace of progress in Myanmar, a fellow member since 1997.

They took Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win to task during their meetings over the last two days, but ASEAN, which has admitted to failing to bring change in Myanmar, pushed for the United Nations to deal with the junta.

In a joint communique issued at the end of their meeting, the ministers expressed “concern on the pace of the national reconciliation process” and called for the early release of political detainees.

Asked whether Myanmar promised to step up its democratic process during the meeting, Wirajuda said, “Well, they didn’t explicitly promise what they are going to do.”

ASEAN will also not send its envoy to Myanmar again in the near future, Wirajuda said.

“We are disappointed that the visit of Foreign Minister Syed Hamid to Myanmar last April was not that successful as we all wanted,” he said.

“In fact, we regretted the fact that Myanmar should have been more welcoming in dealing with the ASEAN family. That’s why we do not have any plans for our chairman to visit (Myanmar) again. Of course, it depends on the development, but as of now, we don’t have any,” he added.

On Tuesday, ASEAN senior officials said Myanmar has agreed to allow U.N. Undersecretary Ibrahim Gambari to return to Yangon for a second visit to assess the democratic reforms in the military-ruled country.

The Nigerian diplomat met with Suu Kyi in May this year, becoming the first foreigner to see her since 2004.