71 years of friendly relations between the State of Israel and the Republic of the Union of Myanmar
The State of Israel and the Republic of the Union of Myanmar achieved independence from Great Britain in 1948 and established diplomatic relations shortly later in 1953, marking 71 years of friendship in 2024. To date, there have been 25 Israeli Ambassadors to Myanmar, and 20 Myanmar Ambassadors to Israel. Crrent HoM of Embassy of Israel to Myanmar is Amb. Ruth Zakh.
Myanmar was the first country in Southeast Asia that recognized Israel as an independent state, as diplomatic relations between the two countries were established at the beginning of the 50’s. The Burmese visit of Head of State U Nu to Tel-Aviv was the forst official visit to the young Israel.
Bilateral cooperation has developed in various fields of endeavor, including education, agriculture, health, and economy. Under the sponsorship of MASHAV, the Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation, and through other channels, many from Myanmar have visited Israel for study tours as well as for training programs. Moreover, numerous “on-the-spot” courses in Myanmar have been conducted in collaboration with Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, Commerce and Science and Technology as well as International NGOs like UNDP.
The countries established diplomatic relations in 1953, marking 71 years of friendship in 2024. In the years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two countries have nurtured a strong bond of friendship, which have included visits of high level officials from both countries.
U Nu was the first foreign Prime Minister to visit the newly independent State of Israel in 1955.
David Ben Gurion (Israel’s first Prime Minister) spent one of the longest official trips abroad for an Israeli Prime Minister, with a two-week sojourn 1961, which included also studies in Buddhism. Among the other landmark visits from Israel warrant mentioning are those of President Yitzhak Ben-Zvi and Foreign Ministers Moshe Sharett, Golda Meir, Abba Eban, Moshe Dayan and Shimon Peres.
Cooperation between the two countries has always been wide in the education sector as well. A trilateral academic cooperation has been formed between the Israeli Embassy, the Myanmar Ministry of Education, and non-governmental organizations like UNICEF, in order to deal with issues of early childhood education, like naturalistic language enrichment.
Since 1994, successful ongoing collaboration in the fields of agriculture and livestock is taking place in cooperation with AICAT (Arava International Center for Agricultural Training) and the Granot Agro-Studies Group and later also with the Ramat Negev Agro Research Centre.
During this period, the number of Myanmar trainees that have participated in the program and have experienced training in Israel is well over one thousand five hundred. The trainees from Myanmar are introduced to modern methods of irrigation; growing vegetables, fruits, and flowers, and livestock breeding by means of computers and advanced technologies in cooperation with Israeli farmers.
A historical photo exhibition that was arrived in 2008 illustrates the first years of relations between The State of Israel and The Republic of the Union of Myanmar. It acknowledges and pays homage to all the many people who have contributed to the good relations over the course of these years.
The embassy of Israel contributed generous and timely contribution of USD 18,000 towards World Food Programme, WFP’s emergency food security response in Yangon region, Myanmar on 4th June, 2021.
This contribution will enable WFP to purchase 28 MT of rice to provide essential food assistance to the most vulnerable people in Yangon region, who had already been suffering from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and are increasingly being pushed to the brink. Food rations will be delivered directly into the hands of vulnerable families as part of WFP‘s news support for up to 2 million people in the poorest urban townships.
On 11 Aug 2021, the embassy of Israel in Myanmar donated 4 portable advanced medicals ventilators for Covid patients to the General Hospital of the City of Pathein, in the Ayeyarwady Region of Myanmar.
The President of the Hospital, Dr. Kyaw Zin, came to the Embassy to collect the donation due to the restrictions of Covid by the Ministry of Health, together with our excellent friends of Ayeyar Hinthar Holdings Company Limited that develop the significant historical Great City of Pathein.
For MITV news for the Embassy of Israel's donation for Covid patients to the Pathein General Hospital please CLICK HERE.