“
It looks like you are not the leader of Russia, but the leader of the world
”.
Traveling to Russia for the second time in two months, the head of the Burmese military junta was able to speak to Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, September 7.
On the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum, General Min Aung Hlaing did not mince his words vis-à-vis the master of the Kremlin.
"
You control and organize stability around the world,
" he exclaimed.
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Words that the Kremlin obviously appreciated, having immediately translated them and taken them up in a press release.
"
Burma is our reliable and long-standing partner in Southeast Asia
", the master of the Kremlin himself declared while welcoming the general to Vladivostok, in the Russian Far East, welcoming the "
positive
" relations maintained with Myanmar.
Moscow, the junta's main arms supplier
This exchange of warm words testifies to an already active rapprochement between the two States, each under Western sanctions.
Since the coup that brought the Burmese junta to power in February 2021, Moscow has always refused to adopt the slightest sanction in the UN Security Council, citing respect for the internal affairs of countries.
Russia has since become the leading supplier of arms to the Asian state, ahead of China, delivering armored vehicles, fighter planes and missiles.
For their part, the putschist generals, increasingly isolated on the international scene, have increased their visits to Moscow over the past year.
During one of them last June, the general-in-chief declared that the Russian military operations in Ukraine were “
justified
”.
A sign of closeness to bilateral defense cooperation: in March 2022, for the second consecutive year, Russian soldiers took part in a military parade celebrating the armed forces in Burma.
In another area, General Min Aung Hlaingen's last visit in July was aimed at monitoring cooperation in nuclear matters.
An agreement signed with Moscow in 2007 enabled the establishment of the first Burmese nuclear research center.
In 2015, a "
memorandum of understanding
" signed between the two countries launched cooperation in terms of nuclear technologies, "
for a peaceful purpose and on a legal basis
".
A new deal in 2016 strengthened Russian state-owned company Rosatom's role in Myanmar's nuclear program.
Moscow turned to Asia
On Wednesday, the general went further by confirming that Myanmar has started buying Russian petroleum products.
Everything will be paid in rubles, he assured after a meeting with Vladimir Putin.
According to the Russian agency RIA Novosti, the first shipments of diesel fuel from Russia should arrive in the coming days.
In addition, the general mentioned in an interview with the Russian press agency the possibility of developing defense cooperation in other forms.
"
There will be no Russian military bases in Myanmar, as it is prohibited by the country's Constitution
," he said, but "
other opportunities
" can be found "
in the context of security threats existing in the region
.
In what form ?
Possibly the passage of Russian military ships in the Bay of Bengal.
“
Like China did with Thailand
,” suggests Jean Radvanyi, professor emeritus at Inalco.
For the researcher, this Russian-Burmese rapprochement is part of a more general movement from Moscow towards East Asia.
“
For years, the West has portrayed Putin as increasingly isolated, but this is a distorted view through our European prism.
The Kremlin actually maintains ever stronger relations with many Asian countries, starting with China, India, and then Southeast Asia in general
.
Last August, Sergei Lavrov made his first visit to Burma since the putsch, and reiterated his support for the authorities to "
stabilize the country
".
“
Next year you will hold legislative elections and we wish you success in making your country even stronger and more prosperous
“, affirmed the minister on this occasion, claiming to have”
a very solid base to strengthen cooperation in a whole number of fields
“.
Read also War in Ukraine: do Western sanctions really enrich Russia?
"
In these new relations that it has been able to weave, Moscow absolutely does not care about democratic problems
", continues Jean Radvanyi
.
“
The fact of not putting the questions of human rights in preliminaries grants him the good auspices of certain leaders unsavory in the eyes of the West, from the Burmese generals to Bashar al-Assad in Syria
”.
Last February, the UN special rapporteur pinned arms trafficking from Russia to Burma, as well as from Serbia and China, calling for a resolution to ban these weapons which are used to "
attack and kill civilians
".
According to the UN and local NGOs, there have been at least 1,500 civilians killed, 12,000 arrested and thousands displaced since February 1, 2021. But Russia and China, having a right of veto within the Council of security, such a resolution, or even an embargo, have little chance of seeing the light of day.
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