In the period from November 12 to 16, the delegation of the Republic of Buryatia under the leadership of the Head of the region A.Tsydenov was in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar at the invitation of the Myanmar side. The delegation includes representatives of the Republican government, the Buddhist Traditional Sangha of Russia, business circles ready to develop production directly in Myanmar, as well as a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry in Ulan–Ude, A.Ponomareva.
The program of the visit included a visit to the capital of the country, Naypyidaw, as well as the cities of Yangon and Patein, where the delegation was met by the leadership of the administrative regions: Chairman of the Naypyidaw City Council Tan Tong Wu, Prime Minister of the Government of the Yangon Administrative Region Sou Thein, Chief Minister of the Irrawaddy region Tin Maung Win.
High-level and top-level meetings were held:
In the Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, the host party was represented by two Deputy Prime Ministers – Minister of Transport and Communications Mya Tun U and Minister of Planning and Finance U Win Sein, as well as relevant ministers: investment and Foreign Economic Relations Kan Zaw, Agriculture Min Naung, Religious Affairs and Culture Tin U Lwin (Tin Oo Lwin), trade Thun Ohn (Tun Ohn), industry Charlie Than (Charlie Than), healthcare Thet Khain Win (Thet Khaing Win), hotels and tourism Thet Thet Khine (Thet Thet Khine).
The meeting with the Chairman of the State Administrative Council of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Prime Minister Min Aung Hlaing (Head of State) was held in an expanded format with the participation of interested union ministers.
The negotiations were substantive and focused on practical results: prospects for cooperation in industry and trade, agriculture, education and tourism were discussed. The Myanmar partners became interested in Buryatia’s medical and agricultural technologies – Baikal EM-1 preparations (which can increase yields), Sheneskin products (artificial leather for burns and ulcers), Rapid Bio express tests, and expanded cooperation in mining. A separate interest was shown in the training of students from Myanmar in educational organizations in Buryatia and the mutual promotion of a tourist product in order to enhance citizens’ trips, as well as cultural and religious exchanges.
The delegation of Buryatia visited Buddhist pagodas and the Sitagu International Buddhist Academy, held a meeting with its founder, Sitagu Sayado Dr. Ashin Nyanissara, who participated in the II International Buddhist Forum. The issues of cooperation in the field of Buddhism were discussed.
An action to plant Bodhi trees in honor of the Russian-Myanmar friendship took place in the Chaun Ta area of the Irrawaddy region.
Following the results of the official negotiations and the subsequent discussions of the interested parties in a narrow format, agreements were reached on strengthening ties, working out the voiced proposals and initiatives.
The host party noted the importance of the visit of the Head of Buryatia and the delegation of the region for the development of relations between Russia and Myanmar.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar I.Azizov took part in the events of the program, noting that Buryatia as the center of Russian Buddhism and Myanmar as the world center of Theravada Buddhism have common cultural and spiritual grounds for strengthening contacts. The Ambassador stressed the importance of the visit of the Head of Buryatia, the warmth of the reception, the seriousness of the conversations and attention to requests.
Myanmar is a long–standing and reliable partner of Russia in Southeast Asia. In 2023, the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries was celebrated. Russian-Myanmar relations are traditionally friendly. Their consistent promotion is one of the priorities of Russia’s foreign policy in the Asia–Pacific region, an important factor in ensuring peace, stability and sustainable development. A mutual commitment to strengthening multifaceted Russian-Myanmar cooperation and priority areas for joint work in practical areas were outlined during the meeting of the heads of state on the sidelines of the VII Eastern Economic Forum (Vladivostok, September 7, 2022).
