Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Russia's foreign minister makes official visit to Myanmar

Share
BANGKOK -

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived Wednesday in Myanmar for an official visit that Moscow said will include discussions with the military government on security and economic issues, the Russian news agency TASS reported.

Russia is a major supporter of Myanmar's military government, which came to power in February last year when it ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Lavrov met with his counterpart, Wunna Maung Lwin, and other top Myanmar officials shortly after his arrival in the capital, Naypyitaw, Russia's Foreign Ministry wrote on Twitter.

Western nations have ostracized Myanmar's ruling generals and maintain economic and political sanctions against them because of their takeover and violent repression of opposition.

Lavrov's visit, his first to Myanmar, comes ahead of his attendance at a meeting of foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, hosted by Cambodia this week.

Myanmar has been in a state of increasing turmoil since the army takeover last year, and its military regularly carries out attacks on armed pro-democracy militants and their supporters and ethnic minority militias that have long battled for greater political autonomy. UN experts have described the country as being in a civil war.

Russia is Myanmar's top arms supplier, despite calls from many other nations for an arms embargo. Russian-made fighter jets are used in attacks on territory under the control of ethnic minority groups.

Russia and China, the ruling military's other major ally, have been able to stymie co-ordinated international sanctions because of the veto power they hold as members of the UN Security Council.

The failure of Myanmar's generals to make efforts to restore peace and democracy in their country is expected to be a major issue at this week's ASEAN meeting. Myanmar is one of ASEAN's 10 members but has failed to implement the group's plan to ease the crisis.

Russia's foreign ministry announced Tuesday that Lavrov would meet with his counterpart, Wunna Maung Lwin, and other members of Myanmar's leadership.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the two sides will discuss the prospects for the entire complex of Russia-Myanmar relations: political dialogue, trade and economic cooperation, defense and security, and humanitarian ties.

Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, who heads Myanmar's ruling military council, has visited Russia twice since taking power. There have also been exchanges of defense delegations of both countries.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

An Edmonton man says he was in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was injured by members of the Edmonton Police Service last year.

The brother of a 27-year-old man who was fatally shot in Scarborough over the weekend has been arrested and charged in connection with his death, say police.

Ontario's police watchdog has decided there are no grounds to believe Sudbury police committed a crime during a difficult arrest in May where the suspect's neck was broken.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.