UNITED NATIONS, April 4. /TASS/. Western countries are supporting extremist groups in Myanmar with the goal of destabilizing the situation and pursuing their neo-colonial goals, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya told the UN Security Council.

He said that Russia shares government’s concerns over intensified activities of extremists in the Rakhine State, particularly the so-called Arakan Army.

"There is a lot of evidence that this militia (as well as the armed opposition in general) is supported by Western countries and used as a lever to achieve their neo-colonial goals. At the same time, in their public addresses, the US, UK, and their allies demand to increase pressure on the Myanmar leadership to expedite the return of refugees. While doing so, they leave behind the fact that the actions of their prot·g·s further destabilize the situation in Rakhine and worsen the situation in IDP camps," he said.

According to the Russian diplomat, Western countries "are concerned only with promoting their own geopolitical interests in the region," and this "makes it impossible to fulfill their own demands to the Myanmar authorities."

Nebenzya went on to say that "the recipe for solving Myanmar's internal problems is obvious."

"It envisages normalizing the situation under the state of emergency that has been in effect since February 2021, continuing the process of national reconciliation, which the armed groups are refusing to do under the instigation of the West, and implementing projects in the area of socio-economic development of the territories inhabited by ethnic minorities in Rakhine and other parts of the country," he said.

The Russian diplomat also pointed out that Russia puts Myanmar's sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence first.

"We are therefore focused on constructive dialogue and substantive cooperation with all interested stakeholders in order to develop, together with the Government of Myanmar, the best ways to promote international assistance in resolving the situation in and around Rakhine State," he said. "We call on all colleagues who are not biased in favor of Western geopolitical agenda to join our efforts."

On February 1, 2021, the Myanmar military declared a state of emergency in the country and ousted its leadership. Army officials alleged widespread fraud in the November 2020 general election, which was won by the National League for Democracy party. The country plunged into a civil conflict, which, according to rights activists, has claimed the lives of more than 6,000 people.