Burma says Western nations cannot use sanctions to impose democracy on the military-run nation.
The remark appeared in state-owned media Sunday, after the European Union threatened to tighten sanctions on Burma because it failed to comply with an EU deadline to release democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The EU demands also include lifting restrictions on her pro-democracy party.
EU ministers are expected to discuss the sanctions this week. They include extending the EU ban on visas for Burmese military authorities and their families, opposing international loans to Burma, and banning EU companies from financing state-owned Burmese firms.
The European Union threatened the sanctions ahead of a two-day EU-Asia summit that ended Saturday in Vietnam.
Information for this report is provided by AP and Reuters.