India and Myanmar discuss border security issue

Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla and Chief of Army Staff Gen M M Naravane on Monday discussed border security with the top brass of the government and the military of Myanmar, which share a boundary tripoint with India and China.

Shringla and Gen Naravane called on Myanmar’s State Counsellor and the de facto Head of Government, Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as the Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, in Nay Pyi Taw. The two sides discussed maintenance of security and stability in the border areas and reiterated mutual commitment not to allow respective territories to be used for activities inimical to each other, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated in a press release issued in New Delhi.

India’s top diplomat and the army chief visited Myanmar amid the continuing stand-off between its soldiers and the personnel of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in eastern Ladakh.

New Delhi has been concerned over the possibility of a military move by the PLA through Diphu Pass – an India-China-Myanmar boundary tripoint. It has of late deployed additional troops in the area as part of its move to step up the defence along the McMahon Line, which marks India’s de facto boundary with China in the eastern sector.

A source in New Delhi said that India explained to Myanmar the reason for its recent build-up and construction of military infrastructure closer to Diphu Pass – ostensible to avoid any misunderstanding between the two nations.

The visit by Shringla and Gen Naravane to Nay Pyi Taw was part of India’s recent move to reach out to its neighbours and to stop them from going closer to the orbit of geopolitical influence of China.

They presented 3000 vials of antiviral drug Remdesivir to Suu Kyi as a mark of India’s commitment to assist Myanmar in its fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. Foreign Secretary also conveyed to FS indicated India’s willingness to prioritize Myanmar in sharing vaccines as and when these become available. Myanmar lauded India’s decision to provide debt service relief under the G-20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative, for the period up to December 31, the MEA stated in a press release issued in New Delhi.

Shringla inaugurated the Centre of Excellence in Software Development and Training, which was built under the ASEAN-India cooperation fund at Myitkyina in Myanmar. He also formally inaugurated a liaison office of the Embassy of India, which is currently based at Yangon, in Nay Pyi Taw. He announced New Delhi’s decision to earmark a quota of 1.5 lakh tonnes of Urad (Vigna mungo) for import from Myanmar till March 31 next year.

The visit saw New Delhi announcing a grant of $2 million for the construction of the border haat bridge at Byanyu and Sarsichauk in Chin State of Myanmar to increase economic connectivity between Mizoram State of India and the neighbouring country.