Belarus' President Lukashenko Makes Historic Visit to Myanmar Amid Criticism Over Upcoming Elections
In a move seen as lending support to the military government of Myanmar, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko arrived in Naypyidaw on Thursday night, marking only the second time a foreign leader has visited the country since the 2021 coup. The visit comes as the military is set to host national elections next month, widely condemned as a sham by domestic and international observers.
Lukashenko's arrival was met with full state honors and cultural performances at a military airport in Naypyidaw, where he also met with Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar's self-installed de facto leader. The Belarusian president is the first head of state from Belarus to visit Myanmar since 1994.
The visit has been viewed as a significant gesture by the authoritarian government of Belarus, which is closely aligned with Russia and China in its support for the Myanmar military. Lukashenko's arrival is seen as an attempt to bolster ties between the two countries ahead of the national election, which is widely regarded as a farcical exercise in democracy.
The election is set to take place next month, despite a lack of credible voter registration and allegations of intimidation against opposition candidates. The Myanmar military has also imposed a mass amnesty on thousands of people who were imprisoned for opposing army rule, sparking concerns that the election will be rigged.
Belarus plans to send an observation team to monitor the elections, which is seen as a thinly veiled attempt by Lukashenko's government to legitimize the poll. The country's foreign minister, Maxim Ryzhenkov, has stated that Myanmar has "significant potential" in various sectors and that Belarus can offer its expertise and technology in areas such as agriculture.
However, critics have pointed out that the visit is a concerning development given Belarus' own authoritarian record under Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994. The international community has largely condemned the upcoming election in Myanmar, calling for greater democratic reforms before any polls can be held.
In a move seen as lending support to the military government of Myanmar, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko arrived in Naypyidaw on Thursday night, marking only the second time a foreign leader has visited the country since the 2021 coup. The visit comes as the military is set to host national elections next month, widely condemned as a sham by domestic and international observers.
Lukashenko's arrival was met with full state honors and cultural performances at a military airport in Naypyidaw, where he also met with Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar's self-installed de facto leader. The Belarusian president is the first head of state from Belarus to visit Myanmar since 1994.
The visit has been viewed as a significant gesture by the authoritarian government of Belarus, which is closely aligned with Russia and China in its support for the Myanmar military. Lukashenko's arrival is seen as an attempt to bolster ties between the two countries ahead of the national election, which is widely regarded as a farcical exercise in democracy.
The election is set to take place next month, despite a lack of credible voter registration and allegations of intimidation against opposition candidates. The Myanmar military has also imposed a mass amnesty on thousands of people who were imprisoned for opposing army rule, sparking concerns that the election will be rigged.
Belarus plans to send an observation team to monitor the elections, which is seen as a thinly veiled attempt by Lukashenko's government to legitimize the poll. The country's foreign minister, Maxim Ryzhenkov, has stated that Myanmar has "significant potential" in various sectors and that Belarus can offer its expertise and technology in areas such as agriculture.
However, critics have pointed out that the visit is a concerning development given Belarus' own authoritarian record under Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994. The international community has largely condemned the upcoming election in Myanmar, calling for greater democratic reforms before any polls can be held.
? but seriously, dis is kinda sus. belarus & myanmar hav got similar gov'ts... authoritarian & all that jazz 
. lukashenko's visit is like, "hey, we r good 2 go w/ military gov" 
. and now belarus is sendin an observation team 2 monitor elections? lol what a joke! it's like they r just tryna legitimize dis farce election 
. international community should be all like "hold up, u need 2 fix ur democracy 1st" 
I'm totally fine with Lukashenko's visit to Myanmar, actually it's kinda awesome that he's showing support to the military government. They need all the help they can get, and who are we to judge? The international community is just being drama queens again. Belarus has its own problems, like the environmental disaster in their country 
, but at least Lukashenko's not messing with his people's lives like some other leaders.
And if Belarus' observation team can help with that, then I'm all for it! We need more countries like Belarus showing the world what democracy really looks like 
This is so interesting how Belarus is basically giving a green light to Myanmar's military government by sending an observation team and offering tech support 
The irony isn't lost on me that Belarus is trying to legitimize the poll when they have some serious issues with democracy themselves 
I'm not sure how to feel about this visit from Lukashenko... on one hand, it's a big deal that he's the first head of state from Belarus to visit Myanmar since 1994 
. But at the same time, we're talking about a country with a military government that's been accused of rigging elections and suppressing opposition 
. It feels like Lukashenko is using his visit to legitimize the poll and boost ties with Russia and China 
.
. I wish Lukashenko would use this opportunity to push for real change instead of just trying to cover his own tracks 
.
... Lukashenko is basically trying to butter up his buddies in russia and china while ignoring all the concerns about democracy in myanmar 
. lukashenko showing up in myanmar like that? it's gotta be about getting more support from the russians and chinese, right? but what's really weird is belarus' move to send an observation team - like, they're just gonna legitimize this election by being there? 
and everyone's just like "hey, what's up, dude?" 
It's crazy that he'd show up to support the military government when you know they're basically rigging elections 
.
. They deserve better than a rigged election and a bunch of empty promises 
.
and yet he's sending a team to monitor the elections in myanmar? 
it's all about geopolitics now 
, but it's not gonna change the fact that the election is rigged and a farce 
. Lukashenko should be worried about his own legacy rather than trying to export his brand of authoritarianism to Myanmar 
#LukashenkoInMyanmar #AuthoritarianTies #DemocracyMatters
. just cause they got some old dude (min aung haing) sittin on the throne dont mean he's worth lendin support to. belarus' own record's pretty shady too, all authoritarian and whatnot. plus the elections in myanmar are basically gonna be rigged. think they're tryin to legitimize the whole thing by sendin some "experts" from belarus 
... I mean, the elections in Myanmar are gonna be super questionable 
... They're trying to whitewash the whole thing 
. And what really gets me is that Lukashenko's been in power since 1994 and he's still basically a dictator 
, so it's weird that he's over here trying to teach Myanmar about democracy 
Lukashenko visiting myanmar is super sus considering his track record of being a total authoritarian head honcho... i mean, he's been in power since 1994 lol that's even longer than some countries have existed 
but for real tho, how can we trust him? Belarus sending an observation team to monitor the elections just sounds like a way for lukashenko to legitimize the whole thing and i'm not having it 
. But seriously, Lukashenko's visit is super sketchy considering his own track record of being a total dictator 
Either way, it's gonna be a wild ride!