Not necessary to create Russian base in Myanmar; but other forms of military cooperation – Army Chief
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Tun MT (NP News) - Sep 6
It isn’t required to form the Russian military base in Myanmar. The two countries will find other opportunities for defense cooperation to maintain regional stability, said the Chairman of the State Administration Council (SAC) and Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.
The Army Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing reportedly said this message in an interview with the Russian media Sputnik on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).
Section 42 (b) of the Constitution addresses: “No foreign troops shall be permitted to be deployed in the territory of the Union.”
Creating a military base of foreign countries isn’t allowed by the Myanmar Constitution, the Army Chief said.
"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 was quoted by the Russian media.
However, developing a Russian military base in Myanmar territory isn’t the sole option for the two countries’ military cooperation. There will be other forms of collaboration in defense affairs between the two nations.
"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 Army Chief was quoted.