Vladimir Putin meets Myanmar junta chief, hails 鈥榩ositive鈥� ties

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Myanmar鈥檚 junta chief Min Aung Hlaing in Vladivostok during the meeting on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum. (Sputnik/AFP)
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  • Min Aung Hlaing鈥檚 visit comes as both governments face diplomatic isolation
  • Kremlin is seeking to pivot the country toward the Middle East, Asia and Africa

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed 鈥減ositive鈥� ties with Myanmar on Wednesday as he met with the country鈥檚 junta chief Min Aung Hlaing in Russia鈥檚 far eastern city of Vladivostok.
鈥淢yanmar is our long-standing and reliable partner in Southeast Asia... our relations are developing in a positive way,鈥� Putin said during the meeting on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum.
Min Aung Hlaing鈥檚 visit comes as both governments face diplomatic isolation 鈥� Moscow for its February military intervention in pro-Western Ukraine, and Naypyidaw for a military coup last year.
As Moscow鈥檚 ties with the West unravel over Ukraine, the Kremlin is seeking to pivot the country toward the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.
鈥淚 am very proud of you, because when you came to power in the country, Russia, so to say, became number one in the world,鈥� Min Aung Hlaing told Putin, as quoted by a Kremlin statement that translated his remarks into Russian.
鈥淲e would call you not just the leader of Russia but a leader of the world because you control and organize stability around the whole world,鈥� he said.
The two leaders 鈥渇riendly and openly鈥� discussed cooperation and 鈥渆xchanged views on relations and the international situation,鈥� the Myanmar junta said in a statement.
Since the putsch that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi鈥檚 civilian government in February last year, Myanmar has faced Western sanctions and a downgrade in relations.
Myanmar has been in chaos and its economy paralyzed as the military regime struggles to crush resistance.
Russia and its ally China have been accused of arming Myanmar鈥檚 junta with weapons used to attack civilians since the coup.
More than 2,200 people have been killed in the crackdown, according to a local monitor.
During a trip to Naypyidaw in early August, Russia鈥檚 foreign minister Sergei Lavrov backed the junta鈥檚 efforts to 鈥渟tabilize鈥� the country and hold a national poll next year.
But US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned the international community to reject the junta鈥檚 鈥渟ham elections.鈥�