NAYPYIDAW (Realist English). Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko arrived in Myanmar on a state visit seen as a clear show of support for the country’s military authorities ahead of national elections due next month — a vote widely criticised as neither credible nor feasible amid ongoing civil conflict.
Lukashenko was received late Thursday with full state honours at a military airport in the capital, where Prime Minister Nyo Saw and senior junta officials welcomed him. On Friday, he held talks with Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar’s de facto leader. State media described the visit as “historic,” noting it is the first by a Belarusian head of state since diplomatic ties were established 26 years ago.
According to the junta-run Global New Light of Myanmar, Belarus will deploy an observation team to monitor the December elections. The two sides also agreed to expand cooperation in military technologies, trade and industrial development, following the signing of the Myanmar–Belarus Development Cooperation Roadmap 2026–2028 in Yangon.
Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov said Myanmar has “significant potential” in industrial growth and that Minsk is ready to supply agricultural and mechanical engineering equipment. “No topics are off limits for our cooperation,” he said.
Lukashenko becomes only the second foreign leader to visit Myanmar since the February 2021 coup that toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government. His arrival comes as the junta seeks international validation for elections widely condemned as a political exercise intended to mask a deepening loss of territorial control.
Armed resistance movements and ethnic organisations control large parts of the country, with recent assessments suggesting the military holds less than half of Myanmar’s territory. In preparation for the vote, census teams were able to operate in only 145 of 330 townships, underscoring severe logistical and security limitations.
On Thursday, the junta announced a mass amnesty for 8,665 detainees, many imprisoned for opposing military rule — a move seen as an attempt to reduce public tension ahead of the polls.
Lukashenko’s visit highlights the junta’s continued efforts to cultivate ties with a small group of states willing to engage despite Myanmar’s escalating conflict and international isolation.
