For the first time in 25 years, India’s Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, will make an official visit to neighbouring Myanmar. The three-day visit will start on May 28. Prime Minister Singh is scheduled to meet with Myanmarese President Thein Sein and other government officials as he arrives. Dr. Singh will also meet Aung San Suu Kyi to discuss Myanmar’s on-going transition to democracy. Accompanying the prime minister is a large business delegation.
During his visit, the Prime Minister will also deliver a public address on the theme “India and Myanmar: A Partnership for Progress and Regional Development” at a function organized by the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce & Industry and the Myanmar Development Resource Institute.
The visit is as important for India as it is for Myanmar: India is actively involved in over a dozen projects in Myanmar, both in infrastructural and non-infrastructural areas. Reports also indicate that new agreements and treaties could prove beneficial to strengthen development activities and investments in both countries. These include upgradation and resurfacing of the 160km-long Tamu-Kalewa-Kalemyo road, construction and upgradation of the Rhi-Tiddim Road in Myanmar and the Kaladan Multimodal Transport Project.
Considering the geo-strategic significance of Myanmar, placed in between India and China, and China’s investments in resource-rich Myanmar, this visit is expected to be one of the most crucial among Singh’s visits abroad.