Tag: India-Myanmar relations

Suu Kyi visit: India, Myanmar to scale up energy, counter-terror cooperation

- by India Writes Network

Signalling a fresh ballast to New Delhi’s Act policy, India and Myanmar, Southeast Asia’s emerging powerhouse, have decided to scale up their economic and strategic relations to a new level as the two countries signed three pacts in areas of power, banking and training. In a boost to New Delhi’s campaign to isolate Pakistan, Myanmar rallied in support of India and shared the assessment that “the fight against terrorism should target terrorists, hold to account terror organisations, networks and also states that encourage, support or finance terrorism in any way.”
India’s Prime Minster, Narendra Modi and Myanmar’s State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi had wide range talks in New Delhi on October 19, three days after they met at the BIMSTEC Summit in Goa. Mr Modi was all praise for dynamism and leadership of the India-educated Suu Kyi, who is spearheading the transformation of Myanmar since the NDL came to power last year. Mr Modi conveyed India’s full support and solidarity in the emergence of Myanmar as a modern, secure, “economically “better-connected nation”.
The talks saw a striking convergence of perspective on terrorism as they discussed plans to intensify security and counter-terror cooperation. The joint statement underscored that the fight against terrorism should target terrorists, hold to account terror organisations, networks and also states that encourage, support or finance terrorism in any way. The two sides “reaffirmed their shared commitment to fight insurgent activity and the scourge of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” said the joint statement. “Both sides expressed the view that the long-standing commitment not to allow insurgent groups to use their soil for hostile activities against the other side is essential for the prosperity of the people residing along the border.”
Maintaining security along the 1, 640-kilometre India-Myanmar border remains a challenge. Stressing that the security interests of India and Myanmar are closely aligned, Mr Modi focused on “a close coordination to ensure security in the areas along our border, and sensitivity to each other’s strategic interests.”

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No rivalry, Myanmar needs both India, China: Rajiv Bhatia

- by India Writes Network

Myanmar’s political transition to functional democracy and its emergence as an arena for an unfolding Great Game in the region has sparked a spate of commentaries and discourse on the future trajectory of Southeast Asia’s largest nation. Against this backdrop, Mr Rajiv Bhatia’s book “India-Myanmar relations: Changing Contours” comes as a breath of fresh air as it unravels the evolution and complexities of Myanmar’s ties with the world’s largest democracy and one of the fastest growing economies.

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India’s ties with its ‘far off’ neighbour, Myanmar

- by India Writes Network

Last month, reports on cross-border operation against Northeast insurgents by Indian armed forces flooded TV screens and newspaper headlines. This again reminded of the presence of a neighbour that is often missing in our public discourse. The debate that followed in media on whether the government’s ‘political messaging’ was right or wrong kept the issue alive and provided more coverage on Myanmar’s importance to India.

Whatever that means in terms of sustaining our interest on Myanmar, there is no denying that Myanmar’s presence in our public imagination has been sporadic. The country emerges as a neighbour only when a big event related to the country takes place –– a high-level visit, a natural calamity, a major uprising, and the latest to be added to such rarities is cross-border operation.

As before, this time too, Myanmar soon dissipated into the air after a couple of weeks of intense focus. We are back to the reality of having a ‘far off’ neighbour. Be that as it may, the India-Myanmar bilateral relations at the governmental level have expanded over the years and there has been deepening of mutual trust between political and defence establishments of the two countries.

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Hot pursuit: NSA Doval to visit Myanmar to scale up war on rebels

- by India Writes Network

India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, the mastermind behind the audacious headline-hogging operation that liquidated militants along the India-Myanmar border this week, is set to visit Myanmar soon to explore “joint action” against insurgents by the two countries.

Mr Doval will be visiting Myanmar at the invitation of Major General (Retd) Aung Min, Minister in President Thein Sein’s office.

During his meeting with Myanmar’s leadership, Mr Doval is expected to offer intelligence support to the Myanmar government in fighting insurgents and seek stronger coordinated action against anti-India insurgent groups in Myanmar. Considering the limited capability of the Myanmar Army, he will also carry satellite images as well as communication intercepts of anti-India insurgent camps in Myanmar to help Yangon take action against th

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India-Myanmar ties: Buddha, Business and Bollywood

- by Manish Chand

The “neighbours first” policy of the new government in India will again be in focus when India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj goes on her maiden visit to Myanmar August 8-9 for bilateral talks, as well as to attend ministerial meetings connected with ASEAN, East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum. Myanmar will be the first Southeast Asian country Sushma Swaraj will be visiting after trips to three important neighbours in South Asia: Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal. The minister’s visit will take place soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s path-breaking trip to Nepal, and underlines the centrality of immediate and extended neighbourhood in India’s foreign policy matrix.

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