New Delhi: Myanmar President U Min Aung Hlaing on Saturday began a five-day visit to India that will be focused on ramping up bilateral cooperation in trade, connectivity, border security and defence.
Aung Hlaing kicked off his trip by landing in Gaya to visit the Mahabodhi temple, ahead of his arrival in Delhi this evening.
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"A warm welcome to President U Min Aung Hlaing of Myanmar on his arrival in Bodh Gaya," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on social media.
"His visit reflects the strong spiritual, historical and people-to-people ties that bind our two countries and the depth of our ongoing cooperation," he added.
The Myanmar president was received at the airport by Bihar Governor Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd).
Aung Hlaing's visit to India comes less than two months after he became the president following Myanmar's parliamentary elections.
The elections were held in December and January after years of protests against the ruling military junta that seized power in a coup on February 1, 2021, overthrowing the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.
Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh had represented India at Aung Hlaing's inauguration as the president last month. He effectively ran Myanmar for the last five years, helming the military rule.
Myanmar is one of India's strategic neighbours and it shares a 1,640-km border with a number of northeastern states, including militancy-hit Nagaland and Manipur.
The Myanmarese leader is accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising several cabinet ministers, senior officials and business leaders.
Aung Hlaing was earlier scheduled to visit New Delhi to participate in the International Big Cat Alliance Summit on June 1, which has been deferred.
"President U Min Aung Hlaing will hold discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 1 on further strengthening the historical and civilisational ties between the two countries. He will also participate in a business forum," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
The Myanmarese president will also travel to Mumbai on June 2 for business and industry interactions and site visits.
Jaiswal, at his weekly media briefing, said on Friday that issues relating to border security and connectivity, among others, will be discussed during the Myanmarese leader's trip to India.
"Regarding border security, connectivity and other issues, all matters that form part of the gamut of relations between India and Myanmar will come up for discussion. Our idea is to take our friendly, civilisational ties forward," he said.
Jaiswal said Myanmar lies at the "confluence" of India's Neighbourhood First, Act East and MAHASAGAR policies.
People familiar with the Myanmarese leader's visit said ways to expand defence and trade ties will be a major focus area of talks between the two sides.
PM Modi announced the vision MAHASAGAR or "Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions" for India's engagement with the Global South during his visit to Mauritius in March last year.
