UNION Minister for Foreign Affairs U Than Swe, who is currently attending the 3rd Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security held in Minsk, Republic of Belarus, held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, respectively.
On 28 October, Union Minister U Than Swe met Mr Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, and on 29 October, he separately met Mr Maxim Ryzhenkov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus.
During the meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister, the two sides discussed prospects for enhancing bilateral relations between Myanmar and Russia, focusing on priority areas such as cooperation in political, economic, trade, investment sectors and people-to-people exchanges. They also exchanged views on continued collaboration at both regional and international levels.
Furthermore, the two Ministers discussed plans for election observers from the Election Commission and the Duma of the Russian Federation to participate in observing Myanmar’s upcoming General Elections, scheduled to begin on 28 December 2025.
Following the discussion, Agreement Between the Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and the Government of the Russian Federation on Mutual Visa Exemption for citizens of the Russian Federation and citizens of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, and Plan of Consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation for 2025–2027 were signed.
On 29 October, Union Minister U Than Swe met Mr Maxim Ryzhenkov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus. The two Ministers held cordial and in-depth discussions on matters to further enhance Myanmar–Belarus cooperation, as well as on the upcoming signing of bilateral agreements and memorandums of understanding in the political, economic, cultural, and social sectors.
In the morning of 29 October, the Union Minister also visited the Consulate-General of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, where he met officials and their families. He encouraged them to learn the local language of their host country, to study and apply modern technologies, including AI, to carry out their duties efficiently, and to always act as true representatives of their nation by working to further strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries. He added that a diplomat should be someone capable of turning even an adversary into a friend, and should work to promote mutually beneficial cooperation with existing friends. — MNA
