Putin thanks Myanmar for present of 6 elephant calves as he meets junta chief | EUROtoday

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Russian president Vladimir Putin hosted the Myanmar junta chief and prolonged his gratitude to the navy chief who confronted a possible arrest warrant on the worldwide felony courtroom for alleged crimes towards Rohingya Muslims.

It was navy General Min Aung Hlaing’s fourth go to to Russia since he directed a coup in 2021 and ousted the administration of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, throwing the nation right into a civil battle.

However, it was the primary time the overall personally met the Russian president and held bilateral talks, the place the 2 leaders heaped praises on one another.

Myanmar’s military-run authorities had despatched six elephants to Russia in January to mark the seventy fifth anniversary of diplomatic relations between the 2 international locations.

The present coincided with Russia’s finishing supply of six fighter jets to Myanmar, as a part of so-called “elephant diplomacy” between two governments considered dimly in Western capitals.

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In the televised assembly on the Kremlin, General Hlaing referred to Mr Putin as a “king” and supplied help for his battle in Ukraine which has entered its fourth 12 months.

“I believe that victory must be yours under your strong and decisive leadership,” he instructed Mr Putin.

Mr Putin hailed the steadily growing ties and “substantive and constructive” talks with General Hlaing, including that Moscow and Naypidaw had been “bound by truly strong bonds of friendship, traditions of support, and mutual assistance,” in keeping with an announcement from his workplace.

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“And of course, I cannot but thank you for your very warm gift: You brought us six elephants last year, and they have already been given to the Moscow Zoo,” Mr Putin mentioned.

The warming of ties between head of the Myanmar’s beleaguered navy and Mr Putin mirrored closeness in strategic and diplomatic relations between the 2 international locations which might be considered as pariahs by Western nations and confronted a slew of sanctions.

Western nations have imposed financial and political sanctions on Myanmar in response to the takeover and the violent repression of the opposition, which has led to the deaths of hundreds of civilians and given rise to an armed battle extensively seen as a civil battle.

Russia, together with China, is a significant supporter and arms provider to Myanmar. Russian-made fighter jets are utilized in assaults on territory underneath management of ethnic minority teams, a lot of them allies with pro-democracy resistance forces.

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Mr Putin famous that the bilateral commerce has soared to 40 per cent between the 2 international locations and signed an settlement on the development of a small-scale nuclear plant in Myanmar.

Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear energy company, mentioned the plant would have a capability of 100mw with the potential of trebling that capability.

Mr Putin additionally introduced {that a} navy unit from Myanmar would participate within the navy parade in Moscow on 9 May marking the eightieth anniversary of the World War Two victory over Nazi Germany. He mentioned General Hlaing would additionally attend.

General Hlaing, 68, hardly ever travels overseas and avoids the media limelight as he struggles with an ongoing civil battle within the nation, a tattered financial system within the nation of 55 million which the United Nations says is in pressing want of assist.

In November 2024, the International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan requested an arrest warrant for General Hlaing, alleging crimes towards humanity associated to the persecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority. This request is presently underneath assessment by ICC judges, who will decide whether or not to difficulty the warrant.

In February this 12 months, an Argentine courtroom, invoking the precept of common jurisdiction, issued an arrest warrant towards General Hlaing. Myanmar’s navy spokesperson dismissed the ruling as “baseless” and accused Argentina’s judiciary of political interference

Nay Phone Latt, a spokesperson for Myanmar’s foremost opposition National Unity Government, mentioned the navy chief is in determined want of worldwide recognition and prepared to commerce the nation’s assets in alternate.

“So, to maintain his power, he will go to countries that will recognise him and provide him with some kind of assistance,” Nay Phone Latt instructed the Associated Press.