Myanmar’s military-backed president Min Aung Hlaing held talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday during a rare two-day visit.

Anwar said Malaysia would do “whatever possible” to work with Myanmar and help reintegrate the war-torn nation into the ASEAN regional bloc.

The visit is one of Min Aung Hlaing’s most significant diplomatic engagements since he led the 2021 military coup. ASEAN has barred him from summits since then over the failure to follow a peace plan.

A key topic was the repatriation of Myanmar nationals. Anwar thanked Min Aung Hlaing for accepting the return of 10,493 Myanmar nationals from Malaysia.

Malaysia deported nearly 1,500 Myanmar nationals earlier on ships sent by Myanmar’s government, despite UN warnings about their safety. A second phase aims to return 3,524 more.

Min Aung Hlaing became president in April after an election widely criticised as a sham. He has since visited Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, India, Russia and Belarus.

Myanmar’s civil war has killed an estimated 100,000 people and displaced more than 3.5 million, according to reports.