Printed On 1 Jun 2026
India says it should proceed participating with Myanmar after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Min Aung Hlaing, the chief of the nation’s army authorities, in New Delhi.
Indian Overseas Secretary Vikram Misri instructed reporters on Monday that India’s coverage is “not supposed to be a commentary on the interior political preparations” in Myanmar and that New Delhi believes engagement is one of the best ways ahead.
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Western nations have sought to isolate Myanmar’s army rulers since they overthrew the elected authorities of Aung San Suu Kyi in a 2021 coup that triggered a crackdown on opponents and a brutal civil war.
The battle started when the nation’s military chief, Min Aung Hlaing, ousted the federal government and detained civilian leaders, together with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
Some critics and human rights teams have mentioned Min Aung Hlaing’s go to to India dangers lending legitimacy to the military-backed authorities.
“Now we have at all times proceeded on the precept that sustained dialogue is what’s vital,” Misri mentioned, including that isolating Myanmar can be counterproductive.
“Historical past has proven that disengagement doesn’t give us any outcomes which can be higher than engagement.”
The go to is Min Aung Hlaing’s first to India since he was sworn in as president in April following an election that critics say was designed to cement his maintain on energy. His final go to to India was in 2019, when he served as Myanmar’s army chief.
He arrived in India on Saturday, first within the japanese state of Bihar, with a go to to the Buddhist pilgrimage web site of Bodh Gaya, the place believers say that the Buddha attained enlightenment.
India shares a 1,643-kilometre (1,020-mile) border with Myanmar and a maritime boundary within the Bay of Bengal.
Strategic partnership
Myanmar can be strategically vital to India’s safety pursuits. The 2 international locations have cooperated on border safety and intelligence sharing to fight armed insurgent teams.
Modi and Min Aung Hlaing didn’t tackle the media after their assembly, as normally happens after most bilateral talks involving visiting heads of state or authorities in New Delhi.
However Misri mentioned the 2 leaders mentioned commerce, defence and safety cooperation, border administration, and regional points, with talks additionally specializing in increasing financial and know-how ties. He mentioned either side agreed to deepen collaboration throughout sectors, together with commerce, power and demanding minerals, and to speed up main connectivity initiatives.
Min Aung Hlaing is anticipated to carry talks with enterprise representatives throughout his five-day go to, and can journey to the monetary hub, Mumbai.
Bilateral commerce was $1.95bn in 2025-2026, in response to New Delhi.
The leaders additionally mentioned cooperation in opposition to cybercrime and human trafficking, points which have affected hundreds of Indians lured to rip-off centres within the area.
Misri mentioned India and Myanmar have labored collectively to rescue greater than 2,400 Indian nationals over the previous 18 months.
Resistance teams fashioned after the 2021 coup have captured swaths of Myanmar. Others sought out and fought below the management of ethnic armies in alternate for coaching and weapons with which to struggle the army.
These resistance teams, referred to as the People’s Defence Force (PDF), nominally function below the management of the Nationwide Unity Authorities (NUG), a shadow authorities fashioned by Myanmar lawmakers eliminated by the army coup.
Zin Mar Aung, the international minister of the NUG, wrote a letter to Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the minister of exterior affairs for India, on Could 28, expressing concern concerning the go to.
“Because the army coup of 2021, which overturned the democratic will of the individuals, Myanmar has endured extended battle, instability, and immense humanitarian struggling,” she mentioned.
“India has lengthy championed democratic governance, the rule of regulation, and regional stability. We due to this fact urge the Authorities of India to weigh fastidiously the broader implications of formal engagement that will normalise or legitimise army rule in Myanmar.”
