BANGKOK (AP) — Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko arrived in Myanmar on a goodwill visit, state media there reported Friday, becoming only the second foreign leader to visit the Southeast Asian country since it came under military rule in 2021.

The visit comes just a month before an election in Myanmar that has been characterized as neither free nor fair by critics. Lukashenko’s goodwill visit is seen by critics as giving the appearance of support to the polls.

Since the takeover, Belarus has been a major supporter and supplier of Myanmar’s military government, along with China and Russia. It is one of only a few countries that have been visited by Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the head of Myanmar’s military government, who traveled there in March and June. Like Myanmar, the govern

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