Thaindian News

New Delhi, Jan 24 (IANS) With Myanmar fast moving towards democratisation, India Tuesday welcomed the national reconciliation initiated by President Thein Sein’s government.

At a meeting between External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and visiting Myanmar Minister for Foreign Affairs Wunna Maung Luin here, India also pledged continued support to infrastructural development in the neighbouring country, considered as its gateway to south east Asia.

Wunna Maung Luin, who arrived here Sunday, also met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh earlier in the day, apart from holding one-on-one talks with Krishna Tuesday.

During the delegation level talks, Krishna conveyed to his counterpart India’s support for Myanmar to “continue playing” its due role in the comity of nations.

Giving details of the talks, India’s ministry of external affairs Spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said the two sides “positively” assessed the development in bilateral relations after the landmark state visit of Thein Sein to India in October last year.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had during Thein Sein’s visit announced a $500 million line-of-credit to Myanmar for a slew of development projects, including irrigation, apart from offering help to further strengthen the democratic transition.

“India welcomed the steps being taken by the government of Myanmar towards national reconciliation and democratic transition. India also expressed its support for Myanmar to continue playing its due role among the comity of nations,” the spokesperson said.

Myanmar’s civilian government under Thein Sein took over a year ago after elections held in November 2010 in which opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s party did not participate.

After her release from house arrest and the recent reconciliation talks with the government, Suu Kyi is now slated to contest the parliamentary polls as a candidate of her National League for Democracy in April this year.

“Both sides discussed measures to enhance mutually beneficial cooperation, including in the areas of trade and commerce, security, agriculture, health, culture, science and technology, human resource development and capacity building,” Akbaruddin said.

Krishna and his delegation also reiterated India’s “continued support for infrastructure development and cooperation projects” for the benefit of the people of Myanmar.

India’s ONGC Videsh, GAIL and Essar are involved several oil projects in Myanmar, apart from India funding the Kaladan multi-modal transport corridor from its east coast, through Myanmar, to its northeastern states.

All these efforts have come at a time when China’s involvement in Myanmar’s economic and infrastructure projects have increased in recent years.

The two foreign ministers underlined the significance of such projects which could improve connectivity between India and the other countries of south east Asia through Myanmar, an energy-rich nation where India is involved in oil exploration projects.

Wunna Maung Luin will deliver a lecture on ‘Myanmar: A Country in Transition to Democracy’ at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) in Sapru House Wednesday.

Just before the delegation-level talks with his Myanmarese counterpart, Krishna told reporters that India would “like to enlarge our relationship into various spheres” and that New Delhi values and will provide highest importance to the bilateral relations with Nay Pyi Taw.

Krishna also noted that he was among the first foreign ministers of any country to visit Myanmar after a civilian government took over early 2011.

“We have traditional and civilisational relationship with Myanmar. Our trade links have been very ancient and our security interests are intertwined with Myanmar,” he added.

Wunna Maung Luin, in his remarks, said Indian and Myanmar have “a very historic and a long tradition” of bilateral relations and looked forward to “strengthening and enhancing the existing bilateral relations in the field of political, security and social and economic development”.