India and Myanmar have traditionally had much in common, with cultural, historical, ethnic and religious ties, in addition to sharing a long geographical land border and maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal
Why Myanmar is important for India?
- Act-East Policy
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- Myanmar is located at the junction of East, SE and South Asia
- Only ASEAN country that shares border with India. Hence, gateway to ASEAN
- Buffer state to China
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- To tackle insurgency in NE
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- A large number of cross-border ethnic groups and insurgents from Northeast India have military bases in Myanmar
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- Energy Security
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- Myanmar has oil and gas reserves
- ONGC Videsh and GAIL are actively pursuing these resources
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- Economic opportunities
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- Myanmar is opening up to the rest of world. New democratic government provides lots of avenues for India.
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- Infrastructure projects
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- India-Myanmar partner in many infrastructure projects:
- BCIM corridor
- Sittwe port
- Mekong Ganga Initiative
- India Myanmar Thailand trilateral highway
- India-Myanmar partner in many infrastructure projects:
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Recent steps taken:
- India-Myanmar signed 4 MoUs:
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- MoU on cooperation in the Field of Renewable Energy.
- MoU on cooperation in the construction of 69 Bridges
- MoU on cooperation in the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine.
- MoU on cooperation in the construction and upgradation of the Kalewa – Yagyi Road Section.
- MoU for designing an academic and professional building programme for insurance industry of Myanmar
- MoU on Cooperation in the field of Power Sector. Under it India has offered to enhance power supply from Moreh in Manipur to Tamu in Myanmar
- Both countries agreed to cooperate in security and strategic issues.
- They also agreed to enhance engagement in several areas including to develop a mutually beneficial arrangement for trade in pulses.
- India will train Myanmar Navy. The decision to train Myanmar Navy is in par with India’s overall effort to boost strategic cooperation under the ‘Act East’ policy. Besides, it will help offset increasing Chinese presence in its neighbor hood.
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