Russia and Myanmar cooperating on military equipment supplies: Report

MOSCOW: Russia is cooperating closely with Myanmar to supply military hardware including aircraft, the Interfax news agency cited Alexander Mikheev, the head of Russian state arms trader Rosoboronexport, as saying on Wednesday (Jul 21).

Rights activists have accused Moscow of legitimising Myanmar's junta, which seized power in a Feb 1 coup, by continuing bilateral visits and arms deals.

Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told Myanmar's junta leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing during his visit to the Russian capital last month that Moscow was committed to strengthening military ties.

Speaking on the sidelines of Russia's annual MAKS air show, which President Vladimir Putin attended on Tuesday, Mikheev said Myanmar is one of Rosoboronexport's key customers in south east Asia and a key partner of Rostec, Russia's state aerospace and defence conglomerate.

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He gave no further details.

Defence ties between the two countries have grown in recent years with Moscow providing army training and university scholarships to thousands of soldiers, as well as selling arms to a military blacklisted by several Western countries.