Belarus’s Lukashenko becomes second only leader to visit Myanmar since coup

Alexander Lukashenko’s sojourn comes soon earlier subject authorities holds nationalist polls wide condemned arsenic a sham.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has arrived successful Myanmar connected a goodwill sojourn seen arsenic lending enactment to the Southeast Asian country’s subject authorities successful beforehand of a widely condemned nationalist election acceptable to beryllium held adjacent month.

Myanmar authorities media reported connected Friday that Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the country’s self-installed de facto leader, met Lukashenko astatine the Presidential Palace successful the capital, Naypyidaw.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 3Belarus pardons 25 much prisoners nether US pressure
• list 2 of 3Lithuania to sprout down smuggler balloons, unopen Belarus borderline crossings
• list 3 of 3Lithuania extends Belarus borderline closure implicit balloon attack

“This sojourn demonstrated Belarus’s goodwill and spot towards Myanmar and marked a historical occasion. It is the archetypal clip successful 26 years of diplomatic relations that a Belarusian Head of State has visited Myanmar,” subject tally outlet The Global New Light of Myanmar reported.

Lukashenko’s accomplishment astatine a subject airdrome successful Naypyidaw connected Thursday nighttime saw him welcomed by elder figures from Myanmar’s subject government, including Prime Minister Nyo Saw, with afloat authorities honours and taste performers.

After erstwhile Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Lukashenko is lone the 2nd overseas person to sojourn Myanmar since its subject overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected National League for Democracy (NLD) authorities successful a coup connected February 1, 2021.

The Belarusian leader’s sojourn besides comes conscionable a period earlier the subject is acceptable to big nationalist elections that galore home and planetary observers person condemned arsenic a sham. His sojourn is wide viewed arsenic lending enactment to the polls, owed to beryllium held successful precocious December, and which the subject authorities has touted arsenic a instrumentality to normalcy.

Following Lukashenko’s gathering with Min Aung Hlaing connected Friday, The Global New Light besides confirmed that Belarus plans to “send an reflection squad to Myanmar” to show the polls.

The leaders besides agreed that “collaboration volition besides beryllium strengthened successful subject technologies and trade”, a time aft the Myanmar-Belarus Development Cooperation Roadmap 2026–2028 was signed successful Yangon.

Belarus authorities media quoted Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxim Ryzhenkov arsenic saying that Myanmar has “significant imaginable successful assorted concern sectors”, portion Belarus has “expertise and modern technologies successful mechanical engineering”.

“Myanmar plans to mechanise its agriculture, and we successful Belarus nutrient a implicit lineup of machinery and equipment. As our president says, nary topics are disconnected limits for our cooperation,” Ryzhenkov said.

Belarus’s authorities is wide regarded arsenic authoritarian, with Lukashenko serving arsenic the erstwhile Soviet state’s archetypal and lone president since the bureau was established successful 1994.

Along with large backers China and Russia, Belarus is 1 of the precise fewer countries that person continued to prosecute with Myanmar’s subject leaders since the coup.

A fashionable protestation question successful the contiguous aftermath of the coup has since morphed into a years-long civilian war, further weakening the Myanmar military’s power implicit the fractured country, wherever taste equipped groups person fought decades-long wars for independence.

Preparing for the polls, military authorities census takers successful precocious 2024 were lone capable to number populations successful 145 of Myanmar’s 330 townships – indicating the subject present controls little than fractional the country.

Other caller estimates spot the military’s power arsenic debased arsenic 21 percent of the country’s territory. Ethnic equipped groups and the anti-regime People’s Defence Force – which person pledged to boycott and violently disrupt the upcoming polls – power astir treble that magnitude of territory.

Amid geographic limitations and raging violence, arsenic good arsenic the Myanmar military’s March 2023 dissolution of Aung San Suu Kyi’s hugely fashionable NLD, critics person pointed to the absurdity of holding elections successful specified circumstances.

Preparing for the polls, subject leaders carried retired a mass amnesty connected Thursday, pardoning oregon dropping charges against 8,665 radical imprisoned for opposing service governance.