Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing will arrive in India on Saturday on his first visit after forming a new government following elections in the neighboring country, with the aim of strengthening diplomatic and economic ties.
Hlaing, who will visit India from May 30 to June 3 with a high-level delegation including several ministers and business leaders, was earlier scheduled to visit New Delhi to participate in the Big Cat Alliance International Summit on June 1, which was postponed.
Hlaing, who retired from the army in March to successfully run in Myanmar’s presidential elections, is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 1 to strengthen relations between the two countries. He will also participate in a business forum, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday while announcing the visit.
Hlaing will also travel to Bodh Gaya on May 30 and to Mumbai on June 2 for trade and industry interactions and field visits.
Myanmar is at the intersection of India’s Neighborhood First, Move East and Mahasagar policies, and Hlaing’s visit is expected to strengthen and deepen the multi-faceted relations between the two countries, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
India was represented at Hlaing’s inauguration in April by Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, who also met leaders in Nay Pyi Taw to advance bilateral engagements on trade and development assistance.
Earlier this month, Myanmar’s new military leader, General Ye Win Oo, held talks with the Indian Navy chief, Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, in his first meeting with a foreign military commander since taking office on March 30.
The Indian side remains concerned about anti-India separatist groups active in Myanmar’s Sagaing region, located along the border with the country.
The Indian government has so far refrained from commenting on the elections in Myanmar or the formation of the new government led by Hlaing, who led the coup against the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.
However, Singh’s participation in Hlaing’s inauguration signaled India’s willingness to engage with the new regime, primarily due to security concerns regarding India’s strategic northeastern region.
Myanmar’s economy has been devastated by the civil war that broke out when armed resistance groups launched a coordinated attack in October 2023, and India has repeatedly expressed concern about the deteriorating security situation in the neighboring country.
