Germany’s substantial development assistance, which was a key element in its relations with Myanmar, was largely 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, with development cooperation also being initially resumed. However, these relations 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 firmly condemned the assumption of power by the Myanmar military on 1 February 2021 and described the elections held in December 2025 and January 2026 under the supervision of the military as neither free nor fair because of the exclusion of large sections of the opposition. The German Government calls for an end to the violence, political dialogue to reinstate democratically legitimised institutions and the release of all political prisoners. It supports the mediation efforts by the ASEAN countries and 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.