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Foreign Secretary to visit Myanmar on December 22-23; first high level trip since coup.
Dec 22, 2021

Foreign secretary Harsh V Shringla will visit Myanmar on December 22-23 to engage with leadership across the spectrum, extend humanitarian assistance and strengthen security partnership during the first high-level visit from India since the army took over power there on February 1.

ET has learnt that on top of Shringla’s agenda is extending humanitarian assistance and expanding security partnership in the context of rising incidents in India’s northeast with cross-border connections. India had recently sent Covid-19 vaccines to Myanmar.

India shares over 1,600-km-long land boundary with Myanmar, a fact that plays a key role in New Delhi’s policy. The visit is also happening in the backdrop of Myanmar handing over five insurgents from Manipur last week. This is the second time Myanmar has handed over insurgents to India in two years. In 2020, 22 rebels belonging to six insurgent groups operating in Assam and Manipur were handed over.

The occasion will also provide an opportunity to get a sense of the political process within Myanmar, according to persons familiar with the issue. India has backed Asean process since the February 1 coup.

The last high-level visit from India to Myanmar was undertaken when Shringla and army chief General MM Naravane visited Myanmar last year. A number of development-oriented MoUs were signed on that occasion. This included support for the Rakhine state.

During that visit, both sides agreed to further strengthen their partnership in connectivity projects, capacity building, power and energy, deepen economic and trade ties, further facilitate people to people and cultural exchanges, and broad base their defence exchanges across all the three services.

As part of capacity building efforts, the Centre of Excellence in Software Development & Training (CESDT), Myitkyina (Myanmar) was virtually inaugurated by the foreign secretary during that visit.

As part of efforts to assist Myanmar fight Covid-19, the army chief and Shringla had presented 3,000 vials of Remdesivir to the local authorities.

In the context of connectivity during the last visit, India had announced a grant of $2 million for the construction of the border haat bridge at Byanyu/Sarsichauk in Chin State, which will provide increased economic connectivity between Mizoram and Myanmar. In the context of energy security, India proposed to construct a petroleum refinery in Thanlyn region near Yangon.

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