Creation of Russian Military Bases in Myanmar Impossible - Min Aung Hlaing

VLADIVOSTOK (Sputnik) - The creation of Russian military bases in Myanmar is impossible, because it is prohibited by the country's constitution, Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing said in an interview with Sputnik on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).

"As for the creation of a military base of the Russian Defense Ministry on our territory, this is prohibited by the constitution. And it concerns not only Russia, but in general any country - foreign armed forces must not be based on our territory," he said.

"But Russia is our friend, and we can find other opportunities for cooperation, including in defense. It is not necessary to create some kind of base, there may be other forms of cooperation to stabilize the situation in the region," the Myanmar leader said.

Chapter I, clause 42b of the Myanmar constitution states that “No foreign troops shall be permitted to be deployed in the territory of the union.”

From 1885 to 1948, Myanmar, then called Burma, was under the rule of the British Empire. It gained independence after WWII but decades of instability followed. The constitution adopted in 2008 ushered in a period of relative stability, and its foreign troops clause may be a result of its previous occupations.

Myanmar has been facing civil unrest since Min Aung Hlaing came to power in February 2021. In March of that year, martial law was put into place in several townships in the country in response to protests.

Russia was one of the first countries to express support for the Min Aung Hlaing administration and has been supplying the country with arms and COVID-19 vaccines. Myanmar, which like Russia has faced economic sanctions from the West, has indicated that it plans to import oil from Russia, a partnership that is scheduled to begin this month.

The Sputnik news agency is an information partner of the EEF.