New Delhi (VNA) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with Myanmar President U Min Aung Hlaing on June 1 as part of the latter’s five-day visit to India, aimed at advancing bilateral relations in security, defence, trade, connectivity, energy and emerging technologies.
During the talks, the two leaders conducted a comprehensive review of bilateral ties, focusing on border management, defence and security cooperation, trade and investment expansion, development assistance, and collaboration in health care, education, energy and artificial intelligence.
They underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability along the shared border and preventing the use of either country’s territory for activities detrimental to the other’s security interests.
On the same day, Indian President Droupadi Murmu received Myanmar President U Min Aung Hlaing and reaffirmed Myanmar’s important role in India’s regional engagement. She emphasised the significance of connectivity in the India-Myanmar partnership.
Murmu noted that bilateral trade had expanded in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, machinery and agricultural products. However, she said there remained substantial room for growth and called for greater efforts to promote trade and investment.
Earlier, on May 31, Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval met the Myanmar leader to discuss key aspects of bilateral relations, particularly security, defence and border management cooperation.
Myanmar holds a strategic position in India’s foreign policy as the only ASEAN member sharing a land border with the South Asian nation. The two countries share a border stretching about 1,640 kilometres, adjoining several northeastern Indian states, including Nagaland and Manipur.
As a result, bilateral relations are closely linked not only to economic and political cooperation but also to border security, stability in northeastern India and New Delhi’s broader connectivity strategy with Southeast Asia.
U Min Aung Hlaing is visiting India with a high-level delegation comprising cabinet ministers, senior officials and business leaders.
The trip comes less than two months after he assumed the presidency following Myanmar’s parliamentary elections earlier this year./.
