The National Unity Government (NUG) has officially notified the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the investment and economic agreements signed during military council leader Min Aung Hlaing’s visit to Russia are invalid, according to NUG Presidential Office spokesperson U Kyaw Zaw. The notification emphasizes that these agreements, made during Min Aung Hlaing’s recent trip, will not result in sustainable long-term investments.
Min Aung Hlaing visited Russia and Belarus from March 3 to March 9, during which he sought to secure military weapons, illegal funding channels, and arrangements for sending Myanmar workers abroad. The military council has celebrated this trip as highly successful, but the NUG has warned that any agreements made during this visit lack legitimacy. The trip was primarily aimed at maintaining the military’s grip on power, procuring weapons, seeking illegal funding sources, exploiting Myanmar’s workforce, and attempting to boost the morale of the military’s losing forces while seeking political legitimacy through fraudulent elections.
The National Unity Government has made it clear that it will only honor and take responsibility for international agreements and treaties that were signed before the military coup. The NUG has issued a specific order through its Ministry of Planning, Finance and Investment (Notification 1/2021) stating that all investment permits and approvals issued by the military council’s Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) since February 1, 2021, are suspended without exception. The government has warned all potential investors that any business activities conducted under permits issued by the military council’s investment commission will not be recognized, and all such ongoing illegal investment activities must cease immediately.
