Nay Pyi Taw: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today met Myanmar’s State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and the two leaders discussed ways to further cement the bilateral relations.

“Prime Minister Modi and Councillor Aung San Suu Kyi meet in Myanmar, discuss further cementing of India-Myanmar relations,” PMO said in a tweet.

“Meeting a valued friend. Prime Minister Modi with the State Councillor Aung San Suu Kyi,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

The prime minister’s visit to Myanmar comes amid a spike in ethnic violence with Rohingya Muslims in the Rakhine state.

He is expected to raise the issue of the exodus of the ethnic Rohingyas into neighbouring countries.

The Indian government is also concerned about Rohingya immigrants in the country, and has been considering to deport them. Around 40,000 Rohingyas are said to be staying illegally in India.

India and Myanmar were also looking at strengthening existing cooperation in areas of security and counter- terrorism, trade and investment, infrastructure and energy, and culture, Modi had said ahead of his visit.

Modi arrived here on the second leg of his two-nation trip during which he travelled to southeastern Chinese city Xiamen where he attended the annual BRICS summit and held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other world leaders.

This is Modi’s first bilateral visit to Myanmar. He had visited the country in 2014 to attend the ASEAN-India Summit.

The Myanmarese president and Suu Kyi had visited India last year.

Myanmar is one of India’s strategic neighbours and shares a 1,640-km-long border with a number of northeastern states including militancy-hit Nagaland and Manipur.

 

 

India shares Myanmar’s concern over ‘extremist violence’ in Rakhine state: PM

India said on Wednesday that it shares Myanmar’s concerns over the “extremist violence” in the Rakhine state and urged all stakeholders to find a solution that respects the country’s unity, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi

The two leaders also vowed to combat terror and boost security cooperation with Modi emphasising that it was important to maintain stability along the long land and maritime borders of the two countries

Modi’s first bilateral visit here comes at a time when the Myanmarese government led by Nobel laureate Suu Kyi is facing international pressure over the 125,000 Rohingya refugees that have poured across the Bangladeshi border in just two weeks after Myanmar’s military launched a crackdown in the Rakhine state

Modi, in his joint press statement with Suu Kyi after the talks, said India understands the problems being faced by Myanmar

He said India shares Myanmar’s concerns over the “extremist violence” in the Rakhine state, especially the loss of innocent lives of the people and the military personnel

“When it comes to a big peace process or finding a solution to a problem, we hope that all stakeholders can work together towards finding a solution which respects the unity and territorial integrity of Myanmar,” Modi said

At the same time, the solution can bring about peace, justice, dignity and democratic values for all, he said

After Modi-Suu Kyi talks, 11 agreements were signed between the two sides in areas like maritime security, strengthening democratic institutions in Myanmar, health and information technology

Modi, in his statement, stressed on scaling up security cooperation, saying that being neighbours, the two countries have similar security concerns

Taking a strong stance on terror, Suu Kyi said, “Together we will ensure that terror is not allowed to take roots on our soil or on the soil of neighbouring countries.”

Suu Kyi also thanked India for taking a strong stand on the terror threat that Myanmar faced recently

Rohingya militants raided police posts in Myanmar’s Rakhine state last month, killing 12 security personnel

Modi also asserted that India stands by Myanmar amid the challenges the country is facing

He said that India has decided to grant gratis (no-cost) visa to Myanmarese citizens who wish to visit the country

“We would like to contribute to Myanmar’s development efforts as part of our ‘Sabka saath sabka vikaas’ initiative,” Modi said

He also lauded Suu Kyi’s leadership in Myanmar’s peace process

The meeting between Modi and Suu Kyi came on a day she was quoted as telling Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that global outrage over Myanmar’s treatment of its Rohingya Muslims was being fuelled by “a huge iceberg of misinformation”

Sympathy for the Rohingya was being generated by “a huge iceberg of misinformation calculated to create a lot of problems between different communities and with the aim of promoting the interest of the terrorists”, Suu Kyi was quoted by an official statement as telling Erdogan in a call

Suu Kyi has come under fire in recent days for failing to speak out against violence targeting Rohingyas, particularly given her previous image as a champion of human rights

Hundreds have died since Rohingya militants raided police posts in Myanmar’s Rakhine State

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also called for the Muslims of Rakhine state to be given either nationality or legal status, and voiced concern about violence that has since late August forced nearly 125,000 people to flee and risk destabilising the region

Modi arrived here on the second leg of his two-nation trip after he travelled to the southeastern Chinese city Xiamen where he attended the annual BRICS Summit

On Tuesday, Modi called on Myanmarese President Htin Kyaw, describing it as a “wonderful meeting”

They had discussed steps to deepen the “historical relationship” between the two neighbours

This is Modi’s first bilateral visit to Myanmar. He had visited the country in 2014 to attend the ASEAN-India Summit

The Myanmarese president and Suu Kyi had visited India last year

Myanmar is one of India’s strategic neighbours and shares a 1,640-km-long border with a number of northeastern states including militancy-hit Nagaland and Manipur.

India to grant gratis visa to Myanmarese citizens: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced that India will grant gratis visa to Myanmarese citizens wanting to visit the country.

Modi made the announcement during his joint press statement with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi after the two leaders held wide-ranging talks here.

“I am pleased to announce that we have decided to grant gratis (no-cost) visa to all the citizens of Myanmar who want to visit India,” Modi said.

He also announced that India has decided to release 40 Myanmarese citizens, currently lodged in various jails in India.

“We hope that they will soon be able to meet their families in Myanmar,” the prime minister said.

Modi also asserted that India stands by Myanmar amid the challenges the country is facing.

“I am confident that in future we will work together to create a strong and close partnership for mutual benefits,” Modi said.

Earlier, during the delegation-level talks, Modi said, “We would like to contribute to Myanmar’s development efforts as part of our ‘Sabka saath sabka vikaas’ initiative.”

He said deepening the relationship with Myanmar was a priority for India, as a neighbour and also in the context of the ‘Act East Policy’.

PM Modi presents Suu Kyi copy of her research proposal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today presented Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi with a special copy of the original research proposal she submitted for her fellowship in 1986.

“Presented Daw Aung San Suu Kyi a special reproduction of original research proposal she submitted for fellowship at IIAS (Indian Institute of Advanced Study), Shimla in May 1986,” Modi said in a tweet.

Prime Minister Modi is on his first bilateral visit to Myanmar where he held wide-ranging talks with Suu Kyi. After the meeting, Modi gifted the 72-year-old nobel laureate a copy of her original research proposal titled ‘The Growth and Development of Burmese and Indian Intellectual Traditions Under Colonialism: A Comparative Study’.

Suu Kyi has a strong connection with India. She studied political science from the Lady Shri Ram College in Delhi and graduated in 1964.

She was also a fellow in Shimla at the prestigious Indian Institute of Advanced Studies. Suu Kyi had also spent time with her husband Michael Aris and two sons Kim and Alexander in the former summer capital of the British India.

Modi arrived here yesterday on the second leg of his two-nation trip during which he travelled to southeastern Chinese city Xiamen where he attended the annual BRICS summit and held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other world leaders.

 

List of MoUs/Agreements signed during State visit of Prime Minister to Myanmar

September 06, 2017