Germany’s substantial development assistance, which was a key element in its relations with Myanmar, was mostly terminated following the military’s bloody suppression of demonstrations in 1988.

After the democratic transition process began in 2011, bilateral relations with Myanmar saw a revival, but were discontinued again following the military’s brutal actions against the Muslim Rohingya population in 2017. In 2023, Germany intervened in a case against Myanmar brought before the International Criminal Court in this connection.

The German Government resolutely condemned the seizing of power by Myanmar’s military on 1 February 2021 and calls for an end to the violence, the re-establishment of democratically legitimised institutions and the immediate release of all political prisoners. It also expects the military to play a part in finding a peaceful solution to the crisis through dialogue with all sides, and supports the mediation efforts of the ASEAN countries as well as the United Nations. At European Union level, several rounds of sanctions have been imposed, some of which are aimed at leaders of the regime and at the business conglomerates operated by the military.

With the country facing increasingly severe hardship since the military coup as well as a general downturn (according to the United Nations, around half of its 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.