Myanmar coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has lauded Russia as Myanmar's "friend forever" while stating that the United States is "not very intimate" when compared with neighbouring China and India due to its "far distance", in an interview with Russian media during his visit to Moscow, last week.
The General, who ousted the elected government as military staged a coup on February 1, was in Moscow to attend the 9th Moscow Conference on International Security-2021 (MCIS-2021) at the invitation of Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoygu.
"The USA is also Myanmar's friend but it is in some far distance. But, our neighboring China and India are our close friends," Min Aung Hlaing said in an interview with Fedor Lukyanov, anchorperson of the 'International Review' programme on Russia 24.
According to country's leading news website Irrawaddy, when asked what he thought of Russia if the US is a distant friend while China is a close friend, the General replied (according to the translation provided by the Office of the Commander in Chief of Defence Services): "Russia is a very friendly among the friend countries."
He added that "we have to take relations with the neighboring countries seriously" in the interview which was aired on military-run Myawady TV over the weekend.
"We [Myanmar and the US] are not very close politically like before. Not very intimate in comparison with our neighboring countries," he said.
Meanwhile, even though Min Aung Hlaing was conferred the title of "honorary professor" by the Russian Defense Ministry for "his performance to cement relations between two armed forces", Irrawaddy reported that Moscow was "cautious" in its official embrace of the Myanmar coup leader.
It said that when the General's plane landed at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Colonel General Alexander V. Fomin turned out to be the highest-ranking official on hand to greet Min Aung Hlaing on the tarmac.
"The traditional Russian bread-and-salt welcoming ceremony for honored guests was nowhere to be seen. The Myanmar delegation’s convoy to the Metropol Hotel in the center of Moscow, where the coup leader is staying, was equally unimpressive. When pictures of it went viral online, it reminded Myanmar people of delivery vans," the website reported.
It also mentioned that in reports by Russia's largest news agency Tass, Min Aung Hlaing was referred to as either "Myanmar’s military chief" or "Myanmar’s Commander-in-Chief", but not as the head of the state during his only second trip overseas since seizing power.
"It would be interesting to know how the Myanmar coup leader reacted to the Kremlin’s confirmation that there would be no meeting (with Russian President Vladimir Putin). When then Myanmar President U Htin Kyaw of the National League for Democracy government arrived in Sochi to attend the Russia-ASEAN summit in 2016, he was welcomed with a bread-and-salt ceremony at the airport. Next day, Putin said during his meeting with U Htin Kyaw that he was very glad to welcome his counterpart to Sochi," the report detailed.
It said that official engagements for Min Aung Hlaing are still out of the question due to the illegitimacy of his regime but this lack of recognition must be painful, given his continued patronage of military hardware from Russia, which is now the number two military exporter to Myanmar behind China.
"However, he can’t afford to complain, as Russia has stood steadfastly behind his regime, along with China, at every UN meeting," the website said.
The South China Morning Post, however, quoted analysts saying that Moscow will maintain close links with both the junta leader and the Tatmadaw, as the Myanmar military is known locally.
The newspaper said that Tatmadaw is awaiting delivery of six Su-30 fighter jets ordered in 2019 and the two countries in January also signed contracts for a Russian air defence system and tactical surveillance drones.
"I think it suits Russian President Vladimir Putin's geopolitical objectives to show that Moscow can continue to disrupt Western efforts to bring about peaceful and democratic resolutions to political crises," SCMP quoted Canberra-based Myanmar watcher Hunter Marston as saying.
At the same time, experts reckon that Min Aung Hlaing is signalling that his regime has friends in important places and a ready supply of high-grade military weapons aside from China.
