9 March 2025
Chairman of the State Administration Council Prime Minister was invited on a statelevel goodwill visit to Russia and Belarus. The visit lasted for one week, from the 3rd to the 9th of this month. We provided timely updates to the media, so the public is already aware of the activities and accomplishments.
I won’t elaborate further, but I want to highlight the key benefits for our nation. The benefits can be categorized into three areas: political, economic, and social.
Politically, we secured strong assurances from Russia and Belarus regarding international relations. Both countries have historically supported Myanmar on the global stage and have reaffirmed their commitment to continue doing so. Secondly, regarding the upcoming elections in Myanmar, it is expected to be held no earlier than the last week of December and no later than the second week of January. Russia, Belarus, and other nations have expressed their support for the elections.
Additionally, they have agreed to send observation teams to monitor the process. This is a positive development for our people, as we are committed to restoring the multi-party democracy system that the public desires. We will ensure its implementation without fail. Economically, both Russia and Belarus possess advanced technologies compared to Myanmar. As you know, Myanmar is an agriculturebased country transitioning towards industrialization. We have significant opportunities in this regard. Belarus, for instance, has a land area about one-third the size of Myanmar and is a landlocked country with a population of around 9.1 million. Despite its smaller agricultural land and challenging climate with nighttime temperatures dropping to -2 or -12 degrees Celsius in some areas Belarus generates nearly US$-9 billion in GDP from its agricultural sector alone. Given our favourable climate and abundant resources, there is no reason why Myanmar cannot achieve similar success. What we need is modern agricultural and livestock systems.
We have signed agreements to address these needs, including the establishment of fertilizer factories in Myanmar with Russian and Chinese cooperation.
Additionally, Myanmar has three strategically important deep-sea ports: Kyaukphyu, Thilawa, and Dawei. The Dawei deep-sea port project has been stalled for some time, but we have signed an MOU with Russia to resume its development. While Russia is the primary partner, we welcome participation from other countries as well. Socially, both Russia and Belarus excel in education and healthcare. We are working to improve these sectors in Myanmar as well. In summary, this visit has brought promising opportunities for Myanmar to advance towards the multi-party democracy system our people aspire to, ensuring national development and prosperity. It has been a fruitful journey for the progress of our nation.
