The leader of Myanmar’s Arakan Army, Twan Mrat Naing, has sent a congratulatory message to Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman. According to officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this is the first time the armed group has extended such greetings to a Bangladeshi foreign minister. The message expressed hope that under Rahman’s leadership, both sides would continue working together to find practical, sustainable, and realistic solutions to shared issues.

Twan Mrat Naing, who also chairs the United League of Arakan, wrote that the current goodwill between Bangladesh and Arakan could serve as a foundation for building a new kind of friendship. The message reflects a gesture of cooperation from the Arakan side at a time of political transition in Bangladesh’s foreign affairs leadership.

Earlier, Myanmar’s Foreign Minister U Than Shwe had also sent congratulations to Khalilur Rahman the day after he was sworn in, marking continued diplomatic communication between the two neighboring countries.