Context: Alexander Lukashenko visited countries in Asia and Africa. The trip lasted 12 days. During a visit to Oman, he disappeared from the state media news agenda, while his press service limited itself to general statements about working meetings and negotiations. Media reports suggested that the visit was more personal in nature and likely related to health reasons.
Discussing Alexander Lukashenko’s trips on TVR Gomel, Uladzislau Ravenka, a senior research associate at the Center for Political Studies of the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, said that the country cooperates with states that are just as peace-loving as itself. He cited Myanmar as an example, where an armed conflict has continued since the 2021 military coup:
“Belarus demonstrated its benevolent and constructive stance when it was among the few countries that provided assistance to Myanmar after a devastating earthquake. Our rescue teams were deployed there as quickly as possible and assisted the country. But not a single country from the Western bloc that considers itself part of NATO and so on did that,” Ravenka said on the program “Mneniya” (“Opinions”) on December 4, 2025.
The earthquake in Myanmar struck in late March 2025 and claimed thousands of lives. Belarus then sent 33 rescue workers, two search dogs, two pieces of specialized equipment and a humanitarian shipment that the Ministry for Emergency Situations valued at 300,000 rubles, or about $100,000.
According to United Nations data, at least 26 countries, including NATO members, provided assistance to Myanmar in the aftermath. For example, Italy and the United States allocated about $2 million in aid, Finland provided $1 million, Canada provided just under $10 million, and the United Kingdom, Sweden and the EU as a whole each contributed more than $10 million.
