Sr. Gen. U Min Aung Hlaing, Commander-in-Chief of Myanmar Defence Services called on Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today.
Sr. Gen. U Min Aung Hlaing appreciated India’s role as a reliable development partner for Myanmar. He said that Myanmar considers its relationship with India very important, not only as a neighbour, but also as a country with longstanding historical and cultural ties, shared interests and strong people-to-people ties with Myanmar.
Sr. Gen. U Min Aung Hlaing expressed his commitment to deepen defence and security engagement with India, including in the maritime security domain. He added that Myanmar will remain an important platform in support of India’s Act East Policy.
Sr. Gen. U Min Aung Hlaing conveyed the invitation of President U Thein Sein to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to visit Myanmar. The Prime Minister said that he looked forward to visiting Myanmar at an early date. The Prime Minister also invited President U Thein Sein to visit India at the earliest.
Sr. Gen. U Min Aung Hlaing expressed condolences on behalf of the people and the Government of Union of Myanmar on the passing away of former President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.
The Prime Minister reiterated India’s commitment to strengthen the bilateral relationship with Myanmar in all areas, including defence and security. The Prime Minister said that a strong and prosperous Myanmar was in India’s interest, and expressed India’s support to Myanmar in its endeavours for national development.
The Prime Minister said that Myanmar is “India’s gateway to ASEAN”, and called for greater connectivity between the two countries and beyond.
The Prime Minister said that he respects the desire of the people of Myanmar for a transition to a stable multi-party democracy, and conveyed his best wishes for the upcoming elections in Myanmar to be peaceful, free and fair.
