Myanmar’s delegation to the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) plans to sign a number of agreements with Russia, including on tourism, according to the junta’s Union Minister for the Ministry of Industry, Charlie Than.

He made the comment whilst speaking to Russia’s state-owned TASS news agency on Sunday 10 September at the EEF which is being held in Russia from 10 to 13 September.

"Yes, we plan to sign some agreements, including on tourism”, he said on the sidelines of the EEF.

But, he declined to give any further details on any other bilateral agreements the countries might sign.

Bilateral relations between Russia and the Myanmar junta have strengthened since the February 2021 military coup in Myanmar.

After a 30-year break, direct flights between the two countries resumed on 5 September 2023, when a new scheduled flight was inaugurated between Yangon and Mandalay in Myanmar and Novosibirsk in Russia.

Myanmar carrier MAI (Myanmar Airway International) said that tourists arriving on the new flight will be able to catch internal flights to major Myanmar tourist destinations such as Ngapali, Heho, Bagan and Nyaung-U.

Russian tourists will also be able to catch international flights from Myanmar to Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports in Thailand, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Phnom Penh in Cambodia and Kolkata in India.

The Myanmar junta relaxed visa requirements for Russian travellers last year and also urged the Russian government to grant similar visa waivers to Myanmar nationals.