Myanmar won't allow anti-India activities on its soil: President Hlaing
What's the story
Myanmar President U Min Aung Hlaing has assured Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Myanmar's territory will not be used against India's security interests. The assurance was given during a bilateral meeting between the two leaders in New Delhi on Monday. This is Hlaing's first visit to India since he took office as President after a military coup in 2021.
Bilateral talks
Defense cooperation and connectivity projects discussed
Briefing reporters after the bilateral meeting, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that both sides underscored the importance of preventing the misuse of sovereign territory for activities inimical to their security interests. "The President of Myanmar, in particular, reiterated the assurance that Myanmar's territory would not be permitted to be used against India's security interests," he said. The bilateral talks between Modi and Hlaing also focused on defense cooperation, critical minerals, rare earths, and connectivity projects.
Groups
Stability in Myanmar crucial for India's interests
Misri said stability in Myanmar is crucial for India's interests such as connectivity to Southeast Asia. "The aspect of internal security is obviously the effort by Myanmar...to bring all the ethnic armed organizations and groups onto a single platform to advance the peace process...because stability and peace in Myanmar are a major interest for India, not just for the security of the Northeast and the safety.....of people living along the 1,643-km-long border...but also for our interests, such as connectivity to Southeast Asia," Misri said.
Sovereignty support
Issue of insurgent groups also raised
During the meeting, Modi also raised the "very important question of the activities of Indian insurgent groups in Myanmar close to our borders" with the president, Misri said. "The President...reiterated his assurance that Myanmar was sensitive to these concerns and would do everything necessary to ensure....there was action on these," he said. The issue of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi was also raised, with Misri saying it was discussed in the context of peace processes and democracy.
Ongoing engagement
Solutions to Myanmar's challenges must be led by its people
Misri emphasized that India's engagement with Myanmar is not a commentary on its internal political arrangements but an effort to sustain dialogue. He said solutions to Myanmar's challenges must be led and owned by its people. On defense cooperation, Misri highlighted training, capacity building, institution building, and UN peacekeeping as key areas of focus.
Project delays
Delay in connectivity-related projects
Misri also addressed connectivity-related projects like the delayed Kaladan multimodal transit transport project and India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway project. "The obstacle that faces both....projects is the security situation in Myanmar. The Kaladan highway is in an area where there are active hostilities going on between the Myanmar Army and ethnic armies in Rakhine state; the section of the trilateral highway....is in an area where ethnic armed groups are quite active." Both sides are working to move the projects forward, he added.