Trade, energy and rare earths: Modi’s India breaks Myanmar’s isolation
The Indian Prime Minister received the new president of the former Burma in New Delhi; in 2021, he ousted Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi
from our correspondent Marco Masciaga
Key points
NEW DELHI - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday helped to ease Myanmar’s international isolation by receiving the new president, Min Aung Hlain, in New Delhi. For the former Burmese general who led the 2021 coup that deposed and imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, this is his first official visit abroad since the controversial elections a few months ago that marked his transition from head of the military junta to head of state.
At the end of the meeting, the two leaders made no statements.
The Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri explained that Modi and Min Aung Hlain discussed trade, defence, border management and the expansion of economic, infrastructural and technological ties. The sectors in which the two sides agreed to deepen cooperation include trade, energy and critical minerals.
Protests by pro-democracy activists
Burmese pro-democracy activists have expressed concern and argued that Min Aung Hlaing’s visit to India will help to lend legitimacy to the military-backed government . “We condemn India’s decision to host Min Aung Hlaing, a war criminal who is waging a campaign of terror against the people of Myanmar,” explains Yadanar Maung, spokesperson for the activist group Justice for Myanmar.
“India must change course, stop conferring false legitimacy on the junta, stop profiting from the military’s campaign of terror against the population, and instead support the people of Myanmar, who are fighting and making sacrifices every day for a federal democracy,” continues Yadanar Maung, who accuses India of supporting the armed forces of its neighbouring country through military training programmes and economic ties.
