Foreign ministers from Asia and Europe called Tuesday on Myanmar to release Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace laureate who was told last week she faced a further year under house arrest.

The final statement from the meeting in Hamburg, Germany, of 16 Asian and 27 European Union ministers or their deputies would refer to "a frank exchange of views on Myanmar."

Nyan Win, foreign minister of Myanmar, also known as Burma, was among those at the conference table. The Myanmar’s decision on Friday to extend Suu Kyi's arrest was seen by many European diplomats as an affront.

A draft final statement in Hamburg appealed for an "early lifting of restrictions placed on political parties and the early release of those under detention including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi." The statement also expressed "deep concern on the lack of tangible progress in the declared transition towards a civilian and democratic government" in Myanmar.

The diplomats said they encourage "Myanmar to make greater progress towards national reconciliation as well as to involve constructively all political parties and ethnic groups in an inclusive dialogue."

"The Philippines deeply regrets the Mayanmar government's decision to extend Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest...The Philippines joins the call for the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners," Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo said in a Tuesday statement. "Extending Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest is an impediment to the achievement of Burma's roadmap to democracy. And any delay in this process is one delay too long for Myanmar's people and for democracy," Romulo added.

Some 20 Thai activists gathered outside the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok on Monday night to protest the military government’s decision to extend Aung San Suu Kyi’s house arrest.

Also, a statement released by Amnesty International last Friday said the extended detention highlights the need for urgent action on Myanmar’s deteriorating human rights situation.

“The security legislation used to wrongfully imprison Aung San Suu Kyi and others must be repealed or amended to stop it being used to silence peaceful dissent,” the Amnesty International statement said.

Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer joined the protest saying: "I am saddened and disappointed by the decision of the Burmese (Myanmese) regime to once again extend the detention of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for a further year."

"The situation in Burma remains bleak and I continue to be very concerned by the lack of genuine political reform and any move towards reconciliation," he said.

Suu Kyi, 61, has spent almost 12 of the past 17 years under house arrest at her family compound in Yangon. Sunday marked the fourth anniversary of her most recent term of detention.