| Summary/Abstract |
Myanmar is an important country in both regional and international terms, being the biggest continental state in Southeast Asia (678,000 sq. km as compared to, say, 547,000 of France) with a population of 60 million, which has a rather high literacy rate (over 90%). The country is rich in natural resources,1 and it is located at the intersection of geopolitical routes connecting South Asia and Eastern Asia. In the first years of its independence, Burma/Myanmar played an active role in international affairs. It is a Buddhist country, and its foreign policy was based on some Buddhist principles which stipulated that the country should only rely on its own potential, steer a middle course, and avoid the extremes. Myanmar was pursuing the policy of equidistance from all world blocs, promoting the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence (the Pancha Shila), which has served to enhance its global stature. It is no coincidence that in 1961, U Thant, a representative of Burma, became the United Nations' third Secretary-General.
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