PM Modi reaches Myanmar, talks trade, tourism & terror
12 Nov 2014 6:45 AM IST
He also asked the neighbour to assist India in getting six wanted militants including Jyotirmoy Barali, who looks after ULFA’s Myanmar operation.
It was learnt that before Modi’s visit to the nation, NSA Ajit Doval provided enough evidences to the PMO about Barali’s presence in Myanmar and requested Modi to take up the matter during his visit to the nation. On Tuesday, Modi met Myanmar President Thein Sein and discussed several issues including trade and terrorism. A list of wanted terrorists was handed over to the country’s army chief Aung Hlaing by India and Sein promised Modi to extend all assistance in dealing with ULFA.
Barali’s name came up in February after Indian intelligence agencies seized a bag belonging to Partha Gogoi, assistant finance secretary of ULFA, who was executed by the Barua faction in mid-January accusing him of being a traitor. Modi kicked off his 11-day foreign tour on Tuesday afternoon with his first stop at Nay Pyi Taw, the capital of Myanmar, where he held bilateral talks with Sein. The areas which were discussed by them are engagement in the areas of security, culture and commerce.
‘We had reviewed the bilateral relationship. Had a very good meeting with the President Thein Sein. We had extensive discussions covering various aspects of our bilateral relations’. We talked about strengthening ties in the fields of culture, commerce & enhancing connectivity,’ Modi tweeted. On Wednesday, Modi will attend the 12th ASEAN-India summit and the following day, he will take part in the 9th East Asian summit on the first leg of his three-nation foreign tour that will also take him to
Australia and Fiji.
This will be the second visit by an Indian PM to Myanmar in one calendar year after Manmohan Singh’s visit last March for the BIMSTEC Summit. India has undertaken a slew of connectivity, capacity building and development projects in Myanmar. Among the leaders that Modi is slated to meet is Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
For official talks, the agenda includes India’s keenness that the next ASEAN-India five-year plan of action starting 2016 should focus on improving people-to-people contact, ramping up trade relations and reinforcing strategic engagement. The plan will also focus on security architecture in the region. The other issues which will be highlighted during the ASEAN are: an ambitious connectivity project to develop a 3,200-km highway linking India, Myanmar and Thailand by 2018.
In addition, a Buddhist pilgrimage circuit to attract more tourists from southeast nations.
‘India’s ties with ASEAN are ‘deep rooted’ and that strengthening relations with the nations in the grouping are an important part of its ‘Act East policy’. ASEAN is central to our dream of an Asian century, where India will play a crucial role. I am sure the meetings there would be fruitful,’ PM’s tweet reads.
Experts feel that the free trade pact in services and investment signed in September between India and the ASEAN is expected to help bilateral trade climb to $100 billion by 2015, from $71.6 billion in 2012. ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The East Asia summit (EAS) is a major forum for leaders in the region and it currently has 18 members. Besides the 10 countries in the ASEAN region and India, the other EAS members are Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the US and Russia.
The EAS bloc represents 55 per cent of the world’s population and accounts for around 56 per cent of global GDP.
It was learnt that before Modi’s visit to the nation, NSA Ajit Doval provided enough evidences to the PMO about Barali’s presence in Myanmar and requested Modi to take up the matter during his visit to the nation. On Tuesday, Modi met Myanmar President Thein Sein and discussed several issues including trade and terrorism. A list of wanted terrorists was handed over to the country’s army chief Aung Hlaing by India and Sein promised Modi to extend all assistance in dealing with ULFA.
Barali’s name came up in February after Indian intelligence agencies seized a bag belonging to Partha Gogoi, assistant finance secretary of ULFA, who was executed by the Barua faction in mid-January accusing him of being a traitor. Modi kicked off his 11-day foreign tour on Tuesday afternoon with his first stop at Nay Pyi Taw, the capital of Myanmar, where he held bilateral talks with Sein. The areas which were discussed by them are engagement in the areas of security, culture and commerce.
‘We had reviewed the bilateral relationship. Had a very good meeting with the President Thein Sein. We had extensive discussions covering various aspects of our bilateral relations’. We talked about strengthening ties in the fields of culture, commerce & enhancing connectivity,’ Modi tweeted. On Wednesday, Modi will attend the 12th ASEAN-India summit and the following day, he will take part in the 9th East Asian summit on the first leg of his three-nation foreign tour that will also take him to
Australia and Fiji.
This will be the second visit by an Indian PM to Myanmar in one calendar year after Manmohan Singh’s visit last March for the BIMSTEC Summit. India has undertaken a slew of connectivity, capacity building and development projects in Myanmar. Among the leaders that Modi is slated to meet is Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
For official talks, the agenda includes India’s keenness that the next ASEAN-India five-year plan of action starting 2016 should focus on improving people-to-people contact, ramping up trade relations and reinforcing strategic engagement. The plan will also focus on security architecture in the region. The other issues which will be highlighted during the ASEAN are: an ambitious connectivity project to develop a 3,200-km highway linking India, Myanmar and Thailand by 2018.
In addition, a Buddhist pilgrimage circuit to attract more tourists from southeast nations.
‘India’s ties with ASEAN are ‘deep rooted’ and that strengthening relations with the nations in the grouping are an important part of its ‘Act East policy’. ASEAN is central to our dream of an Asian century, where India will play a crucial role. I am sure the meetings there would be fruitful,’ PM’s tweet reads.
Experts feel that the free trade pact in services and investment signed in September between India and the ASEAN is expected to help bilateral trade climb to $100 billion by 2015, from $71.6 billion in 2012. ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The East Asia summit (EAS) is a major forum for leaders in the region and it currently has 18 members. Besides the 10 countries in the ASEAN region and India, the other EAS members are Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the US and Russia.
The EAS bloc represents 55 per cent of the world’s population and accounts for around 56 per cent of global GDP.
Next Story
