External Affairs Minister, Mr. S Jaishankar conveyed to his Myanmar counterpart, U Than Swe, that the common border areas are seriously disturbed and any such action which could aggravate the situation must be avoided.Â
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EMA held bilateral discussions with the respective member country counterparts on the sidelines of the Mekong Ganga Cooperation Meeting on Sunday. He said that the disturbed conditions have been affecting the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway as well.
India-Myanmar Border Issue
Both countries share over 1600 km of border. Recently, during Kuki-Meitei clashes in Manipur, it was reported that heavily armed militants crossed over from Myanmar into Manipur. Disturbed conditions in the neighboring country, where the Military took over the democratically elected government by coup, have been allowing militants to sneak into India.
During the meeting, Mr. Jaishankar stressed the importance of ensuring peace and stability in the border areas. He also pointed out human and drug trafficking and urged the relevant parties to have stronger cooperation for the early return of the trafficked victims.
As an immediate neighboring state, EMA expressed India’s concern about the humanitarian situation in the neighborhood. He stated that India supports the democratic transition process in the neighboring country. He added that India will closely coordinate policy with ASEAN in this regard.
In the recent past, both countries have significantly stepped up security cooperation. In 2019, both carried out an operation in their respective territories. The operation busted several northeast-based militant camps. In 2021, Myanmar handed over five wanted Manipur militants to India.
India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway
The connectivity initiative, Trilateral Highway is a 1,400 km long highway, under India’s Act East Policy, which can boost the trade, business, tourism, health, and education among the three countries. It is also planned to be extended to Vietnam at a later stage. It will connect India’s Moreh to Thailand’s Mae Sot. However, the project is now about four years behind the initial deadline.
The problems being faced in this project were discussed at the recently held Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) meeting in Thailand. Jaishankar said that it has been a very difficult project due to the situation in Myanmar adding that it is the government’s priority to find ways for it to be resumed.
An official statement from Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Myanmar Government’s efforts to ensure peace and democracy in line with the Five-Point Roadmap were discussed in the meeting.
Foreign affairs minister Mr. Jaishankar was on a six-day-long visit to Thailand and Indonesia. He first attended the Foreign Minister’s meeting under the ASEAN framework in Jakarta on 12th July. Later in Bangkok, he co-chaired the Mekong Ganga Cooperation meeting and also attended the BIMSTEC foreign minister’s meeting.Â
