India, Myanmar firm up ties with China on mind, expand bilateral agenda

Modi and Myanmar President U Min Aung Hlaing discussed trade, security, connectivity and critical minerals as New Delhi stressed continued engagement over isolation

In an effort to continue its pragmatic engagement with Myanmar and with an eye on the growing Chinese influence in that country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with visiting Myanmar President U Min Aung Hlaing here on Monday.

 

The two sides agreed to increase bilateral trade from the current $2 billion, including through the rupee-kyat settlement mechanism, strengthen their defence and security ties, and discussed cooperation in critical minerals and mining.

 

During their discussion, Myanmar's President assured the Prime Minister that his country's territory would not be allowed to be used against India's security interests. India shares a 1,643-km-long border with Myanmar, and insurgent groups active in India's Northeast are known to operate from Myanmar's volatile border region.

 

 

The two sides also exchanged notes on the current state of their bilateral connectivity projects, with the Prime Minister underlining the need to work closely towards the completion of the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project and the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway.

 

The Myanmar leader is on a five-day visit to India. It is his first foreign visit since he was elected President of his country in April after an election that was criticised internationally as Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy and major opposition parties were banned from participating in it.

 

In February 2021, as the commander of his country's armed forces, Min Aung Hlaing had ousted Suu Kyi's elected government in a coup. Subsequently, the US and several Western countries sanctioned him.

 

Briefing the media on the visit later in the day, India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the Prime Minister did raise the issue of Suu Kyi with the visiting President during a discussion largely in the context of the peace process that has been underway in Myanmar.

 

Misri said India has been supporting enduring peace, inclusion, and the need to have all stakeholders at the table. “It was a bit of a freewheeling discussion. I should underline that our engagement with Myanmar is not intended to be a commentary on the internal political arrangement in that country,” he said. Misri said New Delhi has proceeded on the principle that sustained dialogue is imperative for India as a neighbour.

 

The Foreign Secretary said the answer “is clearly not disengagement” as “history has shown that disengagement does not give us any results that are better than engagement and it certainly does not produce democratic change”. “On the other hand,” the Foreign Secretary added, in a reference to China, “disengagement only produces a vacuum that others go on to fill to our detriment and those others have no interest in democracy. I can assure you of that.”

 

Misri said New Delhi continuously engages with Myanmar on the ongoing peace process. He said the Prime Minister underlined the need for enduring peace in the country, the need for inclusion, and the need to have all stakeholders at the table. During the meeting, the Prime Minister said Myanmar lies at the confluence of India's 'Neighbourhood First', Act East and MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions) policies.

 

The joint statement issued after the meeting said India committed to increasing the Mekong-Ganga ICCR scholarships for Myanmar students from 36 to 100 by 2026. The two sides expressed support for closer cooperation in the areas of agro-processing, petroleum, energy and mining. On Sunday, addressing business leaders in India, Min Aung Hlaing invited Indian businesses to invest in his country, including the Yadanabon Cyber City project in the Mandalay region.