KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's ASEAN leadership is instrumental in addressing the ongoing political crisis in Myanmar, Speaker of United Kingdom (UK) House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle said.

Commending Malaysia's leadership in promoting democracy and regional cooperation, Hoyle expressed optimism about Malaysia's key role in guiding Myanmar towards stability.

He also highlighted the importance of collective effort to support democratic progress.

"Myanmar should be at the forefront. And what we've seen is Myanmar go backwards. There was a great vision that it was going forward, and once again, it's reverted where the military junta is running it," he said in an exclusive interview with Bernama on the sidelines of his visit here.

He said dictatorship is not a viable solution and that efforts should be undertaken to restore Myanmar's democratic governance.

"Nobody wants to see any atrocities in countries. Nobody wants to see persecution of their own people. That cannot be right," he said.

Myanmar has been mired in a political turmoil since the military launched its cataclysmic coup against the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.

The crisis in Myanmar has been a major concern for ASEAN as the ongoing fighting between the junta government and multiple factions has also thrown the country into deepening humanitarian crisis.

Hoyle's working visit to Malaysia is at the invitation of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Dewan Rakyat Speaker, Tan Sri Johari Abdul, both he had met welcoming them on their work visit to the UK back in January.

The UK Parliament Speaker arrived in Malaysia on Monday with engagements in Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak, before departing back to the UK on Friday.

-- BERNAMA