Myanmar's president has promised that his country will not turn back from the path to democracy and called on Western nations to end sanctions which he blamed for hindering reform efforts.

"My message is that we are on the right track to democracy," Thein Sein said in an interview with the Washington Post published on Friday.

"Because we are on the right track, we can only move forward, and we don't have any intention to draw back."

The country formerly known as Burma now has a nominally civilian government following a controversial November 2010 election, but its ranks are filled with former generals including Thein Sein.

The regime has surprised observers with a series of reforms, including talks with democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been allowed to stand in an April by-election, and the release of hundreds of political prisoners.

"Our government is only about nine months old. In terms of democratic experiences and practices, we still have very little experience and practice," Thein Sein was quoted as saying.

He said peace, stability and economic development were needed for democracy to flourish, blaming Western sanctions for the country's economic woes.

"If you would like to see democracy thrive in our country, you should take the necessary actions to encourage this by easing the sanctions that were placed on our country."

The April 1 by-elections are seen as a major test of the regime's reform credentials, following 2010 polls marred by complaints of cheating and the exclusion of Suu Kyi, who was released from house arrest soon afterwards.

A quarter of the seats in parliament are now taken up by unelected military officials while the army's political allies hold about 80 percent of the remainder.

Thein Sein said the military was "no longer involved in the executive body".

"We cannot leave the military behind because we require the military’s participation in our country’s development," he added.

Suu Kyi, who submitted her application for the poll this week, has hinted she could take a position in the government in the right circumstances.

Asked whether he would consider giving her a cabinet post, Thein Sein said only that it would depend on whether she was elected by the people and subsequently appointed by the parliament.