India-Myanmar Meeting: PM Modi held a meeting with the President of Myanmar, bilateral cooperation was discussed

New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held wide-ranging talks with Myanmar President U Min Aung Hlaing on Monday with a focus on enhancing bilateral cooperation in the areas of trade, connectivity, border security and defence. Aung Hlaing is currently on a five-day visit to India. His visit to India comes less than two months after Myanmar became president following parliamentary elections. The elections were held in December last year and January this year following years of protests against the ruling military junta.

The military junta overthrew the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup on February 1, 2021. “Further deepening the ties of friendship and cooperation… Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Myanmar President U Min Aung Hlaing to Hyderabad House for bilateral talks,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on social media.

Myanmar is one of India’s strategically important neighbors and shares a 1,640-km border with several north-eastern states, including militancy-hit Nagaland and Manipur. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met Aung Hlaing on Sunday and discussed major issues related to bilateral relations.

The Myanmar leader is accompanied by a high-level delegation to India which includes several cabinet ministers, senior officials and industry representatives. Aung Hlaing was earlier scheduled to come to New Delhi on June 1 to attend the ‘International Big Cat Alliance’ summit, but the summit has been postponed. Myanmar President Hlaing will visit Mumbai on Tuesday where he will meet representatives of industry and business and visit some sites.