Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing on August 19 in which the two leaders witnessed the signing of 12 agreements, consolidating a relationship that dates back to 1948. The agreements include the construction of Myanmar’s first nuclear power plant, the construction of an iron smelter, and an enterprise for the production of fertilizer. Putin said Russia will also assist in creating a deep water port in Myanmar, which has a coastline of 1,300 miles along the Bay of Bengal. The two countries will also begin cooperation in space on the basis of the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Exploration and Use of Outer Space in Peaceful Situations and manned cosmonautics, Putin said.
Russian companies will take part in hydrocarbon exploration and extraction in Myanmar, including on its offshore shelf, and Russia also intends to supply Myanmar with LNG. The two countries will further cooperate on building an oil refinery and a new power plant.
Myanmar, which recently established its own parliament, will set up regular contact with the Russian State Duma. It will also build a Russian Orthodox church in Yangon, has opened Russian-language departments at universities in Yangon and Mandalay, and will open a consulate in Vladivostok. President Min’s visit to Russia will take him beyond the capital, including a visit to the Russian republic of Tuva, the center of Buddhism in Russia.
