Myanmar’s military junta chief arrived on Monday in Moscow, where he is expected to discuss security and economic cooperation -– including Russia’s investment in a deep-sea port in southern Myanmar –- with President Vladimir Putin.
Tuesday’s scheduled meeting between Putin and Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing was announced by junta-controlled state media and the Russian Presidential Office last week.
The head of the junta that seized power in February 2021 flew out of Naypyidaw along with junta Cabinet members and top military officials, according to state television MRTV.
The visit is Min Aung Hlaing’s fourth to Russia since the coup. Putin first met Min Aung Hlaing in 2022 in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine after the Myanmar junta defended Russia’s actions.
Both Myanmar and Russia have faced diplomatic isolation and economic sanctions. Over the last four years, the two sides have sought to spur trade, particularly with Russian military sales to Myanmar.
Most of the weaponry and other arms-related equipment sent to the junta in the two years after the coup came from Russia, according to a 2023 report to the U.N.’s Human Rights Council from Tom Andrews, the U.N. Special Rapporteur for Myanmar.
Radio Free Asia tried to contact junta’s spokesperson Major Gen. Zaw Min Tun on Monday for more details about the trip, but he didn’t immediately respond.
Indian Ocean port
This week’s official visit was scheduled after the junta approved Russian investment in the Dawei port and industrial trade zone in Tanintharyi region, according to Thein Htun Oo, executive director of the Thayninga Institute for Strategic Studies, a think tank formed by former military officers.
The Dawei port project stalled in 2013 after it failed to attract enough investment.
Russia’s Ministry of Economic Development said on Feb. 23 that Russian investment in the revived project will go toward port construction, a coal-fired power plant and an oil refinery.
“Both sides are expected to discuss economic cooperation and expansion between Myanmar and Russia,” Thein Htun Oo told RFA. “Myanmar and Russia have already signed a strategic military partnership agreement, and that military cooperation will be enhanced in the next phase.”
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Russia’s involvement at Dawei would give it a presence on the Indian Ocean, political analyst Than Soe Naing said.
“This is a significant opportunity for Russia,” he said. “It marks its first step into the Bay of Bengal and opens more investment opportunities in Southeast Asia.”
However, an economic analyst who spoke to RFA on condition of anonymity for security reasons said investors from other countries are expected to have a greater role.
“Russia is not considered a good economy in the world,” he said. “There’s doubt about its ability to follow through on investments. In reality, we are looking forward to greater international investment.”
Translated by Aung Naing. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster.