NEW DELHI: Myanmar’s military chief Min Aung Hlaing will begin a five-day visit to India on Saturday for high-level discussions on trade, connectivity and defence cooperation, marking the first such outreach from Nay Pyi Taw since Myanmar’s recent parliamentary elections.
He is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 1, with the discussions expected to focus on strengthening bilateral cooperation in defence, trade, infrastructure and regional connectivity.
The visit is being seen as strategically significant for India, as Myanmar is the only ASEAN country that shares a land border with India.
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said the visit is expected to “further strengthen and deepen the multi-faceted relations between the two countries”.
“President U Min Aung Hlaing will hold discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to further strengthen the historical and civilisational ties between the two countries,” the ministry said.
Hlaing was expected to visit India for the International Big Cat Alliance Summit on June 1, though the summit has since been deferred. Despite the postponement, both sides decided to retain the bilateral visit, underlining the importance attached to the relationship.
As part of his itinerary, the Myanmar leader will visit Bodh Gaya on May 30 and travel to Mumbai on June 2 for business interactions and site visits aimed at expanding commercial cooperation.
The visit comes amid growing Indian security concerns over anti-India insurgent groups operating from Myanmar’s Sagaing region along the shared border.
Defence cooperation is expected to feature prominently in the talks, particularly after Myanmar’s military chief Gen Ye Win Oo recently held discussions with Indian Navy chief Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, his first meeting with a foreign military leader since assuming office in March.
India has so far avoided publicly commenting on Myanmar’s elections or the formation of the new government led by Hlaing, who seized power in the 2021 military coup that ousted the elected administration of Aung San Suu Kyi.