The leader of Myanmar’s ruling generals will travel to Russia next week for economic talks as both governments face diplomatic isolation due to military moves. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing will attend the Eastern Economic Forum in the far eastern city of Vladivostok, the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported on Saturday. Representatives from China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan and other countries will also attend. The general will hold talks with Russian government officials to “further fuel cooperation” and “friendly ties” between the economies and governments of the two countries, the report said. Since the coup that toppled the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February last year, Myanmar has faced Western sanctions and deteriorating relations. Min Aung Hlaing is unlikely to be invited to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders’ summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in November, with the bloc frustrated by a lack of progress in resolving the country’s political crisis.
“Stabilize” the country
Myanmar is in chaos and its economy is paralyzed as the military regime struggles to crush the resistance. More than 2,200 people have been killed in the crackdown. Russia, meanwhile, is under various international sanctions after its invasion of Ukraine in February. Since then, Myanmar’s ruling generals have sought to deepen ties with key ally and arms supplier Moscow, which the military said was “justified”. Min Aung Hlaing made a “private visit” to Moscow in July, where he reportedly met with officials from Russia’s Roscosmos space agency and nuclear agencies, while second-in-command Soe Win also visited late last month. During a trip to Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw in early August, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov backed the military’s efforts to “stabilize” the country and hold a national vote next year. However, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken warned the international community to reject “fake elections”.
