The understanding was reached during wide-ranging talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Myanmar President U Min Aung Hlaing in New Delhi. The discussions covered a broad spectrum of bilateral issues aimed at further strengthening ties between the two neighbouring countries.
Addressing a special media briefing on the Myanmar President’s visit, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed that critical minerals and rare earths featured prominently in the discussions. He said the subject had been part of bilateral engagements for some time and both governments agreed to continue consultations and advance cooperation in these areas.
“Issues related to critical minerals and rare earths did come up during the discussion today. This has been a subject of bilateral discussion for some time. Today as well, there was an understanding that the two governments will continue to stay in touch on these issues and take forward cooperation in these areas,” Misri said.
On defence cooperation, Misri said India’s engagement with Myanmar has largely focused on training, capacity building and institutional strengthening. He highlighted that a significant component of the cooperation involves training Myanmar’s personnel for United Nations peacekeeping operations.
“This has been a focus for several years now, and mostly the defence cooperation with Myanmar focuses on training, capacity building, and institution building. A very important part of the training is in the context of United Nations Peacekeeping,” he stated.
The Foreign Secretary also underscored the importance of security and border management, noting the extensive frontier shared by the two countries.
“We share a 1,643-kilometre-long border, and there are important border and security-related interests in the context of that border,” Misri said.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi and President Aung Hlaing held extensive discussions at Hyderabad House in the national capital, focusing on deepening bilateral relations across multiple sectors.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, both leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation in trade, investment, connectivity, development partnership, capacity building, security and border management. The discussions were anchored in the long-standing historical ties and strong people-to-people connections between the two nations.
The Ministry of External Affairs stated that both sides committed to advancing the India-Myanmar partnership for peace, progress and prosperity while expanding collaboration across strategic and developmental sectors.
Prime Minister Modi reaffirmed India’s commitment to Myanmar as a trusted neighbour, reliable partner and dependable first responder during times of crisis. The commitment, according to the Ministry, aligns with India’s Neighbourhood First, Act East and MAHASAGAR policies.
The Prime Minister also expressed India’s readiness to support peace and dialogue efforts in Myanmar, including sharing India’s experiences in federal governance and economic development.
Misri further revealed that President Aung Hlaing extended an invitation to Prime Minister Modi to visit Myanmar.
President Aung Hlaing is currently on a four-day visit to India from May 30 to June 2 at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi. The visit is being viewed as a significant step in reinforcing strategic cooperation, strengthening regional connectivity and enhancing bilateral engagement across key sectors of mutual interest.
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