Myanmar 'won't allow' terror on its soil
Myanmar has assured India that its territory would not be used to fuel insurgent activities in the North East that shares a 1,600-km border with the strategically important neighbour.
“India received assurances that Myanmar territory will not be allowed to be used for insurgent activities against India,” ministry of external officials said as the Myanmar President H E Thein Sein began his third India tour in seven years.
Sein who assumed office on March 30 after general elections arrived at Gaya on Wednesday and undertook a pilgrimage of the holy sites of Gaya, Kushinagar and Sarnath. He landed in Delhi on Thursday and will meet the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday for bilateral talks.
Bridge to South Asia
While both sides are expected to sign a number of agreements to further bilateral cooperation, officials said Kaladan multi-mode transport corridor which would connect the north-east to Sittwe sea port in Myanmar would be ready by June, 2013 creating a bridge between India and South Asia.
Sein first visited India in 2004 during the state visit of Senior General Than Shwe as Secretary-1 as he was called then.
He next visited in November 2008 as the Prime Minister of Myanmar to participate in the BIMSTEC Summit in New Delhi.
While India shares a strategic relation with Myanmar and often supplies military equipment to Yangon, efforts are currently on to broaden the relations in other areas like energy, health and education and infrastructure development so as to counter growing Chinese influence in Myanmar.
At the request of Myanmar, noted agriculture scientist M S Swaminathan visited the country to ascertain the requirements for setting up an Advanced Centre for Agricultural Research and Education at Yezin.
A Detailed Project Report for setting up the centre for which India will supply tractor and farm implements is under preparation.
Sein would also visit Aakshardham temple in east Delhi and Indian Agricultural Research Institute before leaving for Myamnar on Saturday.
