NEW DELHI, Jun 1: India gave a red-carpet welcome on Monday to Myanmar's junta leader-turned President Min Aung Hlaing -- his first trip abroad since becoming civilian leader -- with talks focusing on security and trade.
The former military chief met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, where they shook hands outside New Delhi's sprawling Hyderabad House.
Modi told the Myanmar leader that "India remains Myanmar's trusted neighbour, a reliable partner and steadfast first responder in times of crisis", Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said.
Min Aung Hlaing was sworn in as Myanmar's president in April, continuing his rule from a civilian post five years after snatching power in a military coup.
Modi also "reaffirmed India's readiness to support peace and dialogue in Myanmar", Jaiswal added.
New Delhi's top career diplomat, Foreign Secretary VikramMisri, told reporters after the meeting that discussions included border security and the impact of the civil war in Myanmar, which borders India's northeastern states.
"Stability and peace in Myanmar is obviously a major interest for India," Misri said.
"Not just for the security of the northeast and the safety and security of people living along the 1,643-kilometre (1,020-mile) long border that we have with them, but also for our interests -- such as connectivity to Southeast Asia," he said.
But he also stressed that any solution to the conflict in Myanmar would have to come from its citizens themselves.
"Eventually, the difficulties that face Myanmar will have to be sorted out by the people of Myanmar talking amongst themselves," he said.
"This will have to be a Myanmar-led solution and a Myanmar-owned solution."
India has long supported plans for infrastructure initiatives to link India's landlocked northeast to the Bay of Bengal through Myanmar, as well as a highway to Thailand -- routes that cut through areas of conflict.
"Obviously, in these circumstances, it's a little difficult to meet preset targets and dates," he said.
Bilateral trade was more than $2 billion in 2025-2026, according to New Delhi.
India also discussed cybercrime, and Misri said that New Delhi had repatriated more than 2,400 Indians from cyberscamcentres in Myanmar in the past year, with around 150 "still stuck" in the country. �"AFP
