Indian Defence Minister, A. K. Antony will visit Myanmar from January 21-22, to meet his Myanmarese counterpart, Lieutenant. General Wai Lwin. During this two-day visit, he will also meet and hold discussions with President Thein Sein, and the Commander in Chief of the Myanamr Defence Forces (the Tatmadaw), Vice Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.
The two sides will review and deliberate on the interactions of the Indian and Myanmarese armed forces, and issues concerning border management, among other bilateral security issues. They are also expected to discuss modalities for improving mechanisms for patrolling by their respected armed forces along land and maritime boundaries to tackle and curb insurgency.
The Indian side is expected to agree to train the Myanmarese Air Force personnel on their Russian Mi-35 attack choppers, which the IAF also operates.
The two sides have seen a host of high level exchanges in the past year including the historic visit of the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Yangon in May, Vice-Senior General Hlaing’s visit to India in August, Indian Air Chief Marshall N. A. K. Browne’s visit to Naypyitaw in November, Myanmarese President Thein Sein’s visit to India in mid-December, and most recently the Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid’s visit to Yangon in late December.
India and Myanmar share strong bilateral, historic and defence ties. Good relations with Naypyitaw are strategically important for New Delhi, given that Myanmar is India’s gateway to the ASEAN region, and thus an important dynamic in the implementation of our Look East Policy. Both nations share concerns regarding the use of their territories for activities that are detrimental to their national securities. The two countries share over 1,600 km long boundary, are currently working on a MoU on border management and coordination.