U Htin Kyaw is on a four-day visit to India, his first state visit as President of Myanmar.
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The outcome could be significant, helping to determine what happens for decades to come in a country where China, the USA and India are vying for influence.
This will be the first presidential visit from Myanmar after Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) assumed power in March this year. It was unclear whether they would be allowed to attend the summit.
The Myanmar President was accorded with a ceremonial welcome at the forecourts of the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
After the discussions, Modi said that in a statement that both leaders “recognized that our security interests are closely aligned”. And, we agreed on the need to remain sensitive to each others strategic interests and concerns.
The PM also said both sides had agreed to work together to enhance the safety and security of their people, and to combat terror and insurgency in their respective countries.
Referring to the old bonds between the two nations, Mukherjee said India shares a “long-standing historical and cultural relationship with Myanmar which has been cemented by our shared struggle against colonialism”.
The still-powerful military has also strongly opposed talks with three groups – the Arakan Army, Ta’ang National Liberation Army and Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army – which fought it in the remote Kokang area past year.
“We have checked with our authorities and it has been conveyed categorically and clearly that Indian Army did not cross into Myanmar”.
In June a year ago, the Indian army had launched an operation against NSCN-K after 18 Assam Rifles soldiers were killed in an ambush.
Success also depends heavily on the military, which controls key levers of government and whose leaders are thought to have made billions from the vast natural resources of Myanmar’s borderlands.
“We are also ready to restore other historic monuments and pagodas, which were damaged in the quake which hit Myanmar just last week”, he said.
“We thank the people of India for supporting our ongoing reform process and efforts to achieve peace and national reconciliation”, he said.
The 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference of Myanmar, which aims to unite all ethnic nationalities and build a democratic federal union through dialogue, kicked off in here on Wednesday.
New Delhi is keenly watching the move by the new government in Myanmar as several rebel organisations in the neighbouring country have close ties with the insurgent outfits of north-eastern India. Chinese firms were furthermore getting preferential treatment in the award of blocks and gas, apparently in recognition of China’s steady opposition to the USA moves against Myanmar’s junta at the UN. He said this step was fitting, considering the bonds of friendship, culture, spirituality and history that unite India-Myanmar as he congratulated his counterpart on the historic victory of the National League for Democracy in the general election held in November previous year. “It is a land bridge that connects India with Southeast Asia”, said Modi.
The Myanmarese President on his part said his government wants to strengthen ties with India.
The second agreement is on upgrading the Kalewa-Yargi section of the trilateral highway.
First, the Indian government has taken initiatives such as the establishment of Language Laboratories and Resource Centre, the Myanmar Institute of Information Technology, and the Agricultural Research and Educational Centre, and the enhancement of the India-Myanmar Centre for Enhancement of IT Skills. The 158 km waterway component on the Kalenda river from Sittwe to Paletwa is almost complete – over 90%. The road component may be finished by 2017-18.
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On Monday, Modi offered support to Myanmar’s new government for developing its priority areas, including agriculture, industry and infrastructure, besides strengthening education and skilling the youth as well as building new institutions. And after supplying power to Tamu, India was willing to “substantially scale up” the supply of power to Myanmar, he said.
