Thailand’s military-led interim government has for the first time held reconciliation talks with the party that supports ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Representatives from the government and the party attended a meeting at the defense ministry on Wednesday.

A defense ministry spokesperson later told reporters that everyone considers finding a breakthrough to be necessary for the country’s future. The spokesperson said the participants agreed that they will cooperate to bring about political reconciliation.

Thailand has been politically divided for more than 10 years. The split is mainly between urban elites and rural workers who support the former prime minister.

The military staged a coup 3 years ago aiming to close the divide.

The interim government has said it will hold general elections to restore a civilian-led administration. The reconciliation talks are aimed at heading off political confusion in the country after the elections.

The interim government plans to hold similar talks with other political parties and hopes to exchange a memorandum to guarantee political stability.

But it remains to be seen whether the government can secure an agreement from each party.