Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing left for Russia on Monday for an official visit during which he is due to hold talks with President Vladimir Putin, according to state media. The discussions are expected to focus on strengthening bilateral ties and strategic cooperation.
State-run MRTV said Min Aung Hlaing departed from Naypyitaw with members of his cabinet. He is also scheduled to meet other senior Russian officials and discuss economic, security and social affairs, apart from attending a Myanmar-Russia Business Forum during the trip.
advertisement
Russia, along with China, is a major supporter and arms supplier to Myanmar. Russian-made fighter jets have been used in attacks on areas controlled by ethnic minority groups, including many allied with pro-democracy resistance forces.
Min Aung Hlaing had previously met Putin on the sidelines of Moscow’s World Atomic Week Forum in September. Putin has never visited Myanmar.
The visit is the latest in a series of foreign trips by Min Aung Hlaing, who has also travelled to neighbouring China, India, Laos and Thailand as he seeks stronger international recognition and a return to diplomatic standing. Despite these visits, he has remained largely isolated internationally.
Min Aung Hlaing was inaugurated as president in April after a general election that United Nations experts and rights groups said was neither free nor fair. Critics dismissed the polls, held in phases in December and January, as a sham meant to tighten the military’s grip on power while appearing to restore civilian rule.
Monday’s visit is Min Aung Hlaing’s seventh trip to Russia since the military, which he led at the time, seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. Western nations imposed economic and political sanctions after the takeover and the violent repression of opposition, which has led to the deaths of thousands of civilians and fuelled a civil war.
Russia has defended Myanmar’s military government in international forums, while Myanmar’s ruling generals have generally backed Moscow’s foreign policy agenda. The two countries have also held joint military drills, signed a nuclear power development pact and agreed to cooperate on human space flight projects, including the selection and training of Myanmar’s first cosmonaut.
The Russia visit underlines the close ties between Moscow and Myanmar’s military-backed government, with talks expected to cover political, economic and security cooperation as Min Aung Hlaing continues his overseas outreach.
With PTI Inputs
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
