Sushma Swaraj's visit will forge stronger Indo-Myanmar ties: MEA

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) today said Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's visit to Myanmar will help forge stronger ties between the two sides.

"This visit by External Affairs Minister to Myanmar which was really the first high-level engagement between India and Myanmar after the new government came to power will serve as a very strong foundation for the further development and diversification of the India-Myanmar ties which are set for a very bright future," MEA official spokesperson Vikas Swarup told ANI.

Swaraj, presently on a day-long visit to Myanmar for bilateral engagements, met Myanmar President Htin Kyaw as well as State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi in Naypyitaw earlier today.

"In both these meetings, the External Affairs Minister conveyed the warm greetings and good wishes of the Indian leadership and the people of India to the new government of Myanmar. She conveyed her felicitation on the tremendous victory of the National League for Democracy during election in Myanmar last year," said Swarup.

He further said that the two countries discussed about India's role in assisting with Myanmar's developmental efforts as well as collaboration in areas such as power, renewable energy, agriculture, transport, health, education and social development.

"They also discussed the strong possibility of cooperation in the area of agriculture, particularly pulses where there is a possibility of importing large volume of pulses from Myanmar," said Swarup.

He added that the two countries also discussed possibilities of further strengthening democracy in Myanmar.

"In this context, the recent training which 20 Parliamentarians from Myanmar underwent at the Bureau of Parliamentary Studies and Training in New Delhi was very positively assist. The President of Myanmar in fact remarked that India is the country that Myanmar can learn from in terms of what democracy really means," he said.

He disclosed that both Myanmar leaders were looking forward to their visit to India as invitations have already been extended to them.