New Delhi. India has given a $2 million grant to Myanmar to push cross-border trade and donated 3,000 vials of Remdesivir, even as the two countries discussed a slew of measures to deepen their bilateral ties that have been markrecent years by regular high-level visits and interactions, the External Affairs Ministry here said.
The affirmation came during a two-day visit to Myanmar October 4-5 by the Indian Army chief, General M.M. Naravane, and Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla.
The grant will be utilised for constructing a border haat (trade market) bridge at Byanyu/Sarsichauk in Chin State that will provide increased economic connectivity between Mizoram and Myanmar as the two countries “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 defense exchanges across all the three services. It was also agreed to deepen cooperation to overcome the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic,” the ministry said in a statement.
“Both sides also discussed progress in the ongoing Indian-assisted infrastructure projects such as the Trilateral Highway and the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project. They exchanged views on an early initiation of work on fresh initiatives such as the upgradation of Yamethin Women’s Police Academy, Basic Technical Training School and measures to provide long term sustainability to projects such as the Myanmar Institute of Information Technology. They agreed to work towards operationalization of Sittwe Port in the Rakhine State in the first quarter of 2021,” the statement said.
“The two sides also discussed maintenance of security and stability in their border areas and reiterated their mutual commitment not to allow their respective territories to be used for activities inimical to each other. The Indian side expressed their appreciation to Myanmar for handing over of 22 cadres of Indian insurgent groups to India,” the statement added.
Among the Myanmarese leaders General Naravane and Foreign Secretary Shringla met were State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi; the Commander in Chief of Defense Services, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing; Vice Senior General Soe Win, Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Myanmar Armed Services; and U Soe Han, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The Myanmar side expressed appreciation for Indian assistance in the preservation of cultural heritage, including the repair and conservation of Bagan pagodas that had been damaged in the 2016 earthquake. The two sides discussed plans to install a bust of Lokmanya Tilak in Mandalay to commemorate his 100th death anniversary as it was during his incarceration in Mandalay jail that Lokmanya Tilak wrote Gita Rahasya, an exposition of the Bhagvadgita. Other areas of cooperation in culture discussed included translation of Indian epics into the Burmese language, the statement said.
“In the last few years, both countries have made commendable strides in bilateral ties and explored new avenues of cooperation including fresh investments in oil and gas and power, infrastructure and pharmaceuticals. Both sides have been in discussion to establish a High Capacity High Voltage Grid Interconnection between the Indian power grid and the Myanmar grid.
“Discussions on the low voltage radial interconnections between North-Eastern states and Myanmar have also progressed. The cooperation in the maritime domain and disaster management has been enhanced. Both countries have also continued to cooperate in various regional and multilateral fora. Initiatives like the successful implementation of the Land Border Crossing Agreement and ongoing discussions at the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Motor Vehicles Agreement, have been moving forward,” the statement said.
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