Praising Russia As A Close Friend Even Though Far Away, This Is What The Leader Of Myanmar Military Regime Says About US

JAKARTA - Myanmar military regime leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing hailed Russia as a 'forever friend' to Myanmar, while noting the United States (US) is less close than neighboring China and India due to its 'long distance'.

This statement was made by Min Aung Hlaing in an interview with Russian media, during a visit to the Red Bear Country for several days last week.

"The US is also a friend of Myanmar but the distance is a bit far. However, our neighbors China and India are our close friends," he told Fedor Lukyanov, anchor of the program 'International Overview' in Russia 24 last week, citing The Irrawaddy Sunday 27 June.

"We must take relations with neighboring countries seriously," continued Min Aung Hlaing, who on a visit to Russia met a number of officials from the country, but did not meet President Vladimir Putin.

"We (Myanmar and the US) are not as close politically as before. Not very close compared to our neighbors," he said. The interview aired on military-run Myawady TV on Friday evening last week.

Myanmar's generals have been suspicious of the US because of its long-standing active support for Myanmar's pro-democracy movement and its leader Aung San Suu Kyi since 1988.

Washington and a number of its allies have also imposed sanctions on the Myanmar military. Since Min Aung Hlaing staged a coup on February 1, the US has imposed a series of new sanctions against the regime, including freezing about $1 billion in reserves held by Myanmar's central bank at the New York Fed, which the junta is trying to withdraw.

Asked what he thought about Russia if the US was a distant friend while China was a close friend, Min Aung Hlaing replied (according to a translation provided by the Office of the Supreme Commander of the Defense Services): "Russia is very friendly among friendly countries,".

"The two countries are far apart, but thoughts are close. I want to praise Russia as our friend forever,"

He explained that Russia's relations with Myanmar have been very good throughout history, considering the military cooperation between the two countries since the 1990s. Back then, Myanmar under the previous military regime was shunned by the international community, forcing it to rely on Russia and China for military hardware and training. Both stand with Myanmar at every UN meeting.

"Many of our citizens have been sent to Russia for their studies. There are more than 7,000. When it comes to the field of cooperation, the military-technological cooperation that I convey is the deepest," said Min Aung Hlaing.

Military cooperation between countries remains close. Russia is the second-largest arms exporter to Myanmar after China. Both Moscow and Beijing continue to act as diplomatic shields for Myanmar against any action by the United Nations.

Meanwhile, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing was in Russia last week at the invitation of the Ministry of Defence. During a meeting with leaders of the Myanmar military regime, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu described Myanmar as a time-tested strategic partner and reliable ally in Southeast Asia and the Asia Pacific Region.

"We intend to make further efforts to strengthen bilateral relations, based on the mutual understanding, respect, and trust formed between the two countries. We are always open to good mutual dialogue on all kinds of issues," Shoigu said.

Last Wednesday, Min Aung Hlaing was awarded the title of honorary professor by the Ministry of Defense of Russia, for his work in strengthening relations between the two armed forces, cooperation in the improvement of military technology, and sending trainees to Russia for further strengthening, friendly relations between the two armed forces and both governments.

Myanmar Coup. The VOI editorial team continues to monitor the political situation in one of the ASEAN member countries. Casualties from civilians continue to fall. Readers can follow the news covering the Myanmar military coup by clicking this link.