Bilateral Meetings: Separate discussions with Foreign Ministers

Union Minister for Foreign Affairs U Than Swe held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus during his stay in Minsk, Republic of Belarus, to attend the 3rd Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security.

On 28 October, Union Minister U Than Swe met with Mr. Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. During the meeting, the two sides discussed prospects for enhancing bilateral relations between Myanmar and Russia, focusing on priority areas such as  cooperation in political, economy, 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 both citizens and Plan of Consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries for 2025–2027 were signed.

On the 29th, Union Minister U Than Swe met with Mr. Maxim Ryzhenkov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, and discussed 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.

Earlier in the morning, the Union Minister visited the Consulate General of Myanmar, where he met with 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.