Lukashenko breaks Myanmar isolation with Naypyitaw visit

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has become the first foreign head of state to visit Myanmar’s junta leader Min Aung Hlaing since the 2021 coup, underscoring a deepening partnership between two internationally isolated regimes.

Arriving in Naypyitaw on 27 November, Lukashenko was welcomed with full honours, marking the first Belarusian presidential visit in 26 years of diplomatic ties. His presence broke a long spell of isolation for Myanmar’s generals, who since the coup have received only foreign ministers from allies China and Russia, and one head of government—Cambodia’s Hun Sen in 2022.

During talks on 28 November, Min Aung Hlaing sought Belarusian backing for Myanmar’s unlikely bid to join the Eurasian Economic Union. The two sides agreed to upgrade diplomatic missions, expand military‑technical cooperation, and signed a roadmap for 2026–2028.

Lukashenko pledged support for Myanmar’s planned election in December, widely dismissed abroad as a sham, and promised to assist the junta in achieving “peace and stability.”

The timing of the visit is significant. With polls weeks away, Lukashenko’s presence lent symbolic legitimacy to Min Aung Hlaing’s promised vote. Belarusian monitors are expected to observe the election, echoing Lukashenko’s own disputed ballot earlier this year. The junta even renamed a Naypyitaw street “Minskaya” in his honour.

Economic ties were also advanced. At a business forum in Yangon, officials signed 16 agreements covering transport, agriculture, industry and healthcare. Myanmar will export rice, rubber and coffee to Belarus, while importing dairy products and machinery. The deals mark a shift from purely military links to broader trade and investment.

Lukashenko praised Min Aung Hlaing as a “rare leader” and urged Myanmar’s citizens to be grateful, remarks that jarred with the reality of ongoing conflict, bombings and repression. Critics note the military controls less than half the country’s territory, with ethnic armed groups and resistance forces pledging to disrupt the December polls.

For Min Aung Hlaing, Lukashenko’s embrace offers a model of authoritarian endurance. For Myanmar’s people, it is another reminder of the junta’s determination to seek legitimacy abroad while violence continues at home.

-2025-12-01