Myanmar military leader to visit Russia next week

Naypyitaw [Myanmar], September 4 (ANI): Myanmar's military junta leader, Min Aung Hlaing, who took over leadership after the coup last year in February will be travelling to Russia next week for economic talks, reported the state media in the Southeast Asian nation.
He will also attend the Eastern Economic Forum in the far-eastern city of Vladivostok, The Global New Light of Myanmar said.
Representatives from China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan and other countries will also attend.
Min Aung Hlaing's visit comes as both governments face diplomatic isolation -- Moscow for its February invasion of Ukraine, and Naypyitaw for a military coup last year, reported Al Arabiya News.
He will hold talks with Russian officials to 'further cement cooperation' between the countries.
The general will hold talks with Russian government officials to "further cement the cooperation" and "friendly ties" between the two countries' economies and governments, the news report said.
Since the coup that removed Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government in February last year, Myanmar has faced Western sanctions and a downgrade in relations.
Min Aung Hlaing is unlikely to be invited to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders' summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in November with the bloc frustrated over a lack of progress on resolving the country's political crisis.
Myanmar has been in chaos and its economy paralysed as the military regime struggles to crush resistance. More than 2,200 people have been killed in the crackdown.
Russia, meanwhile, is under a variety of international sanctions after its February invasion of Ukraine.
Since then, Myanmar's ruling generals have sought to deepen ties with major ally and arms supplier Moscow, which the military has said was "justified", reported Al Jazeera.
Min Aung Hlaing undertook a "private visit" to Moscow in July, where he reportedly met officials from Russia's space agency Roscosmos and nuclear agencies, while second in command Soe Win also visited late last month.
During a trip to Myanmar's capital Naypyitaw in early August, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov backed the military's efforts to "stabilise" the country and hold a national poll next year.
But US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned the international community to reject "sham elections". (ANI)