COAS MM Naravane & FS Harsh Vardhan Shringla Conclude 2 Day visit to Myanmar;Agree to operationalize Sittwe port by Q1 of 2021

Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General MM Naravane and Foreign Secretary (FS) Harsh Vardhan Shringla concluded the two-day visit to Myanmar on October 4-5, 2020. India and Myanmar reviewed the progress made in bilateral relations in recent years by regular high-level visits and interactions. 

During the visit, COAS and FS called on State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and Commander in Chief of Defence Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and other senior civilian, army officers. 

Operationalization of Sittwe Port:

i.Both sides agreed to work on operationalization of Sittwe Port by the first quarter(Q1) of 2021.

ii.Sittwe Port is India’s gateway to Southeast Asia, as it will connect India’s landlocked northeast region with Bay of Bengal through Mizoram. It was constructed by India in 2016.

iii.Sittwe port will reduce India’s dependence on the vulnerable Siliguri Corridor. 

Grant of USD 2 Million:

India announced a Grant of USD 2 million (approximately INR 15 Crores) for construction of Border Haat Bridge at Byanyu/Sarsichauk in Chin State to improve economic connectivity between Mizoram and Myanmar. 

Installation of Bust of Lokmanya Tilak:

i.In order to commemorate the 100th Death Anniversary of Lokmanya Tilak the two sides agreed to install a bust of Lokmanya Tilak in Mandalay Jail, Myanmar.

ii.It was in Mandalay Jail that Tilak wrote Gita Rahasya, a commentary on Bhagavad Gita. 

Cultural Cooperation:

The two sides agreed to cooperate in translation of Indian epics into Burmese language. 

Proposal for Petroleum Refinery Project:

India proposed to build an USD 6 Billion Petroleum refinery project near Yangon, Myanmar.

Highlights

i.Both Countries agreed to strengthen partnership in connectivity projects, power and energy, deepen economic and trade ties, facilitate people to people & cultural exchanges, and also to widen their defense exchange across three services.

ii.They discussed the progress made in ongoing Indian-assisted infrastructure projects such as the Trilateral Highway and Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project. 

iii.The two sides exchanged views on initiation of work of initiatives such as Upgradation of Yamethin Women’s Police Academy, Basic Technical Training School.

iv.India announced import of 1.5 Lakh Tonnes of Urad (Vigna Mungo) from Myanmar till 31 March 2021. 

v.India presented 3000 vials of Remdesivir to Myanmar. 

vi.FS inaugurated Embassy Liaison Office in Nay Pyi Taw and Centre of Excellence in Software Development & Training in Myitkyina. 

Future Projects:

i.Both Countries held discussions to establish High Capacity High Voltage Grid Interconnection between Indian power grid and Myanmar Grid. 

ii.Both sides discussed the successful implementation of the Land Border Crossing Agreement.

iii.They also discussed the way forward in the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Motor Vehicles Agreement. 

iv.Discussions were held to provide long term sustainability to projects such as Myanmar Institute of Information Technology. 

About Myanmar:
President – Win Myint
Capital – Naypyitaw
Currency – Myanmar Kyat