The two groups met at KIO headquarters in Laiza in Kachin state to discuss their current stances on the ceasefires already signed by a number of ethnic armed groups. The ceasefires are presented and coordinated by the government-formed Union Peacemaking Working Committee (UPWC) led by Presidential Office minister U Aung Min.

The KIO has expressed an interest in continuing the peace dialogues with the government on both a national and regional level. This strategy suggests their refusal to sign a countrywide ceasefire agreement may be rooted in their disagreement with the current government's practices. While no date has been specified for the next rounds of ceasefire talks, government sources have suggested they will take place the end of September.

The ABSDF, which signed a ceasefire agreement with the UPWC on August 5 of this year, suggested there is a possibility they may not attend the potential September meeting, but that this depended on whether or not other ethnic groups would show up in solidarity. Earlier this year the ABSDF applied to join the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), a multi-party organization which represents the interests of 11 active ethnic groups in Myanmar.

The ABSDF and KIO have been active since 1988 and 1961, respectively. According to Burma News International, the KIO’s military wing; the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), is the second largest ethnic armed forces group active in Myanmar.