In October 2020, Foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and army chief Gen. M.M. Naravane made a two-day visit to Myanmar in which they met Myanmar’s State Counsellor, Aung San Suu Kyi and the Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services, Senior General, Min Aung Hlaing, and made several important engagements with Myanmar which inculded India providing a package of 3,000 vials of the antiviral remdesivir to Myanmar support for ensuring safe, sustainable, and speedy return of **, Rohingya opertionalisation of the crucial ** Sittwe port in Myanmar’s Rakhine state by March 2021, a liaison office in Nay Pyi Taw, a bus of Bal Gangadhar Tilak in Mandalay Jail, and a mutual commitment to not allow activities against each other, etc. These are disscussed below in detail.
1. During the visit, the Indian delegation presented 3,000 vials of Remdesivir to Suu Kyi, symbolically to commit to assist Myanmar in its fight against the pandemic. Shringla expressed India’s willingness to prioritise Myanmar in sharing vaccines as and when these become available.
2. The leaders agreed to work towards operationalisation of the crucial Sittwe port, part of the Kaladan multi-modal transit transport project, in Myanmar’s Rakhine state in the first quarter of 2021, and that the tendering process for 69 bridges proposed under the ambitious India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway will begin soon. The port is being viewed as India’s gateway to Southeast Asia, and will connect India’s landlocked north-eastern region with the Bay of Bengal through Mizoram.
3. They talked about the progress in the ongoing Indian-assisted infrastructure projects, including the Trilateral Highway and the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project. (India’s development cooperation in Myanmar is estimated at US$ 1.4 billion. Myanmar has the highest Indian investment in any country in South Asia with an investment of over US$ 1.2 billion. Recently, India has also approved an investment of over US$ 120 million in the Shwe Oil and Gas project as both the countries are also expanding partnership in the area of energy cooperation).
4. Both the parties discussed about the maintenance of security and stability in their border areas, and stressed on their mutual commitment not to allow their respective territories to be used for activities inimical to each other. (India has been helping Myanmar in developing border areas under a 2012 agreement, extended till 2022, which provides for a grant of US$ 5 million each year over a period of five years). A grant of US$ 2 million was also announced by India for construction of the border haat bridge at Byanyu/Sarsichauk in Chin state in order to provide increased economic connectivity between Mizoram and Myanmar.
5. The Indian leaders appreciated Myanmar for handing over of 22 cadres of Indian insurgent groups in May this year, which sends a strong message of ‘deterrence to inimical elements on both sides’. India is concerned over some militant groups from the North-East region taking shelter in Myanmar, which has been assuring India that it would not allow any insurgent group to use its territory against India. (In June 2015, the Indian Army had carried out an operation near the Indo-Myanmar against the NSCN (K) militants, shortly after the ultras had killed 18 Army men in Manipur).
6. As for Rohingya refugees from the Rakhine state, both the sides noted the considerable progress, made under the Rakhine State Development Programme (RSDP). They proposed to finalise the projects along with setting up of a skills training centre. Consequently, India ensured safe, sustainable, and speedy return of displaced persons to the Rakhine State.
7. New Delhi formally inaugurated a liaison office in Myanmar’s new capital, Nay Pyi Taw, and took one more significant step towards establishing its embassy there. Right now, India, like most other countries, has its embassy in Yangon, the former capital.
8. An agreement on upgrading of agricultural mechanisation was also signed between the two states. A quota of 1.5 lakh tonnes of urad (vigna mungo) for import from Myanmar until March 31, 2021 was announced.
9. In order to commemorate his 100th death anniversary, the two sides discussed plans to install a bust of Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak in Mandalay, where during his incarnation in the then Burma, Tilak wrote ‘Gita Rahasya’, an exposition of the Bhagvatgita.
10. The centre of excellence in software developmement & training (CESTD), Myitkuina, was also inaugurated.
11. Other areas of cooperation in culture are related to translation of Indian epics into Burmese language.
Courtesy: Indian Express