Name of country: the Republic of the Union of Myanmar

System of government: military regime since the coup d’état of 1 February 2021

Establishment of diplomatic relations:

• 4 December 1954 (Federal Republic of Germany)
• 23 February 1973 (German Democratic Republic)

The German Government firmly condemned the assumption of power by the Myanmar military on 1 February 2021. The elections held in December 2025 and January 2026 were under the control of the military and excluded large sections of the opposition, thus falling far short of the minimum standards for democracy. The German Government calls for an end to the violence, as well as a political dialogue to reinstate democratically legitimised institutions and the release of all political prisoners. It supports the mediation efforts by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United Nations. Within the framework of the European Union (EU), several rounds of direct sanctions have been imposed against, among others, the leaders of the regime and the military’s business conglomerates.

With the country facing increasingly severe hardship since the military coup, as well as a general economic downturn – according to the United Nations, around half of Myanmar’s 54 million inhabitants live below the poverty line, food is scarce in many regions, and the provision of medical care has collapsed in large parts of the country – the German Government is providing humanitarian assistance and supporting selected projects in fields including human rights, culture and stabilisation.

Germany’s formerly substantial development assistance, which was a key element in its relations with Myanmar, was largely terminated following the military’s violent suppression of demonstrations in 1988. After the democratic transition process from 2011, bilateral relations with Myanmar saw a revival, with development cooperation also being initially resumed, but were discontinued once again following the military’s brutal actions against the predominantly Muslim Rohingya population in 2017. In 2023, Germany intervened in a case against Myanmar brought by the Gambia before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in this connection.