A lot has to be done in India-Myanmar trade, says envoy Moe Kyaw Aung

India and Myanmar share good relations and a lot has to be done in the field of trade and investment, said the Ambassador of Myanmar to India, Moe Kyaw Aung on Monday.

Speaking at a roundtable session on Bilateral Trade Opportunities between India and Neighbouring countries, Moe Kyaw Aung said, "India and Myanmar enjoy good relations. We've strong cultural ties and share a long land border. A lot has to be done pertaining to trade and investment."

"We are happy to be a part of ASEAN as it's a bridge between India and Southeast Asia," the Myanmar envoy added.

The Roundtable session on Bilateral Trade Opportunities between India and Neighbouring countries was held on Monday in New Delhi, with a special focus on North East Region. The event was hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry, North East Council.

 

Notably, the friendship between India and Myanmar is age-old and has stood the test of time. Both countries have many things in common as they share strong historical, cultural, religious and trade ties.

People from both countries developed and managed to sustain trust and cordial relations so far. It can be gauged from the fact that not a single case of conflict has been reported yet though both countries share over the 1,600-km land border and maritime border in the Bay of Bengal.

India calls Myanmar an important pillar in its important 'Neighbourhood First' Policy and promised to extend all kinds of support to help overcome economic and health challenges.

India has been building roads and bridges, schools, and healthcare centres in Myanmar under the India-Myanmar Border Area Development Programme. The annual grant of USD 5 million has elevated the lives of people living in around 82 villages in Myanmar.

"India is building USD 484 million Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project that will connect India's Kolkata port with Myanmar's Sittwe port, promoting regional connectivity and development as these projects would create employment opportunities in Myanmar, especially in the conflict-ridden Chin and Rakhine provinces.

Moreover, India has decided to provide debt service relief under the G-20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative to help Myanmar lower the negative impacts of Covid-19. Myanmar accounted for 50 per cent of arms exported from India.

In 2021, Myanmar also received a remote-controlled, air-defence station from India, which would improve its capability to counter the enemy's airborne penetration. In order to boost its naval power, Myanmar was gifted a submarine by India in 2020.

India is a big place of pilgrimage for the people of Myanmar. India and Myanmar were a part of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) - a forum of countries that decide not to align with any power block post-World War II. India's Look East Policy has had a special place for Myanmar for its crucial geostrategic location.

India has been building a variety of projects ranging from building railway lines, and hydroelectric plants to establishing education institutes to oil exploration to developing multimodal corridors. Now both countries are pushing for greater cooperation in the field of trade and security as they tend to get benefitted.