President U Min Aung Hlaing said that a by-election will be held in early 2027 and that international election observation teams will be invited to observe the election.

President U Min Aung Hlaing, who is on an official visit to Belarus at the invitation of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, made the remark during a meeting with President Alexander Lukashenko at the Presidential Palace in Belarus on August 21.

During the meeting, President U Min Aung Hlaing expressed his great pleasure at being warmly welcomed and received by President Lukashenko. He said this was his fourth visit to Belarus and that he had come with Union-level officials from his government as well as businesspeople to further accelerate cooperation between the two countries across various sectors, including trade and economic affairs. He recalled that President Lukashenko had previously said that Belarus placed no restrictions on cooperation with Myanmar in economic, technological and other fields. Therefore, he said he believed Myanmar would have full opportunities to cooperate with Belarus for the country's development. He also expressed his pleasure and pride at President Lukashenko's recognition and praise of Myanmar's election. Both the elected government and he personally would continue working to ensure that Myanmar steadily progresses along the path of democracy. Myanmar would hold a by-election in early 2027 and would invite international election observation teams to monitor the process. He also expressed his desire to invite election observation teams from Belarus, he said.

At the meeting, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he was pleased to meet with President U Min Aung Hlaing. He said that he and President U Min Aung Hlaing had held a cordial meeting the previous day and had openly and seriously discussed matters concerning cooperation between the two countries. He added that the current meeting was another official round of discussions. President Lukashenko said Belarus was placing particular emphasis on matters concerning cooperation with Myanmar and would provide greater support for projects that were being practically implemented on the ground. He said the discussions held the previous day would be continued. He said he understood that Myanmar had a large territory, a sizable population and abundant natural resources. He noted that Myanmar's population was about 55 million, roughly five times the population of Belarus. If the people of Myanmar had socioeconomic needs, Belarus would provide assistance to the best of its ability. He added that Belarusian officials had visited Myanmar during the past two years and had become familiar with the country. Therefore, Belarus was ready to assist Myanmar according to its needs. In particular, Belarus would share its industrial, agricultural and livestock-breeding technologies and experience with Myanmar. He also said Belarusian officials were ready to provide necessary assistance to Myanmar and its people, while the Belarusian people also had the willingness to wholeheartedly support Myanmar. He said he recognized the efforts made by President U Min Aung Hlaing concerning Myanmar over the past several years, particularly the efforts led by him to stabilize the country's political situation. He said an election had now been successfully held and that a government chosen with public support had assumed state responsibilities. Therefore, whenever President U Min Aung Hlaing's government needed assistance in addressing the needs of the people, Belarus was ready to provide support. He also pledged that Belarus would continue to implement without fail the matters agreed upon during their discussions.

The two sides then discussed the possible upgrading and opening of the Myanmar Consulate General in Belarus as an embassy as part of efforts to strengthen diplomatic relations between the two countries; measures to enhance bilateral cooperation; cooperation in the defence and security sectors; ongoing cooperation in space technology; developments in Myanmar's political situation; the government's efforts to promote national development and achieve internal peace; Myanmar's efforts to enhance cooperation at regional and international levels; and continued efforts to strengthen friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

It was also reported that President U Min Aung Hlaing and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko held an informal and cordial meeting at the Belarusian Presidential Residence on the evening of August 20, during which they held extensive discussions on bilateral cooperation.