The second Panglong Peace Conference in Myanmar has been extended to Monday. The five-day meeting in the capital Nay Pyi Taw includes hundreds of representatives from the nation's largest ethnic groups and is aimed at finding reconciliation in the restive country.

The conference was originally scheduled to close on Sunday, when the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee was expected to collect discussion facts and confirm agreed points. However, seven northern alliance non-ceasefire signatory armed groups left the conference on Saturday. No agreement had been reached at the conference, but all parties accepted the idea of further dialogue.

Insurgent groups have been fighting against the military in Myanmar for decades, with the most intense battles erupting in the past few months. The move to establish dialogue between armed groups and the government is undeniably seen as a step towards peace, says CGTN's Dave Grunebaum, who notes that the fact leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with representatives from a seven-member ethnic alliance outside the conference at her home could lead to two peace processes running together, which could make the situation even more complicated.

Furthermore, Myanmar is an extremely diverse nation with 135 distinct ethnic groups living within its borders. Victor Gao from the China-Myanmar Friendship Association, expressed belief the country's many cultures and heritages make it difficult to reach national reconciliation.