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Russia to step up military cooperation with Myanmar — deputy defense minister

"The meeting was keynoted by a traditionally friendly climate and reaffirmed the mutual determination to steadily build up multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries' defense ministries," the Russian Defense Ministry said

KUBINKA /Moscow Region/, August 23. /TASS/. Russia is prepared to develop military and military-technical cooperation with Myanmar, Russia's Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said at a meeting with the Chief of the General Staff of Myanmar's Armed Forces, Maung Maung Aye, on Monday.

"We are going to further strengthen and develop relations between our countries, including those in the military and military-technical spheres," he said. "Myanmar is our strategic reliable partner in the Asia-Pacific Region and in Southeast Asia. Regrettably, the internal political situation in the country is rather serious, but we know that Myanmar's leadership is doing its utmost to achieve stabilization."

Fomin said that Myanmar's military delegation at the show Army-2021 would have an excellent opportunity to see a wide range of weapons of Russian manufacture.

"We are glad to welcome you in Russia, in Moscow, in Patriot Park at the opening ceremony of the International Army Games and the International Military-Technical Forum Army-2021. We thank you personally for visiting this event again. You will have an excellent opportunity to see a large series of weapons and military equipment from the manufacturers of Russia and other countries that are represented at our show and to see and participate in the contests that have already begun. The opening ceremony [of International Army Games] is due later today. We all will attend it."

Maung Aye said his country counted on support from the Russian Defense Ministry in strengthening its armed forces.

"Thanks to your assistance and support and your specialists and technologies the level of our army is growing with every passing year," he told Fomin.

Maung Aye recalled that the armies of the two countries shared long-standing relations of friendship, which Myanmar was determined to maintain.

"I would like to express particular gratitude for the opportunity that Myanmar's students enjoy to study at Russian civilian and military institutions of higher learning," Maung Aye said.

After the talks the Russian Defense Ministry said that "the sides assessed positively the steadily developing mutually beneficial relations in the military field and confirmed the intention to use the accumulated potential to the maximum extent for the sake of deeper military and military-technical cooperation in the spirit of strategic partnership."

"The meeting was keynoted by a traditionally friendly climate and reaffirmed the mutual determination to steadily build up multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries' defense ministries," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a news release after the negotiations.

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