India to Maintain Good Relationship with Burma

Mizzima News (www.mizzima.com)

February 11, 2005

Indian Minister for External Affairs Natwar Singh says that India and Burma are maintaining a good relationship to solve problems arising from their common border.

Singh, on the release at New Delhi's Foreign Correspondents' club of a book called "South Asian nion" written by senior journalist Ranjit Kumar, told reporters that India and Burma are cooperating to radicate all unwanted elements from the border, including the drug trade.

"We have a long border with them [Burma], we have good relations with them and we also have to keep in touch with regard to the activities of undesired people on the border. We are working together to deal with this
menace, which also involves the drug trade," Singh said in answer to a question on India-Burma relations asked by a reporter. 

Singh also said ongoing talks on the trilateral gas pipeline project involving India, Bangladesh and Burma, are moving forward and progress is expected sooner. "I am hoping that the outcome on the meeting between India, Bangladesh and Burma (is that) progress could be made . I think progress can be made. I hope we are moving forward rather faster than people expect," he said.

The book authored by Ranjit Kumar, a senior journalist and leading international affairs and security analyst, says the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) has failed. Citing the example of the European Union, he suggests cooperation among South Asian nations to open borders for free movement of people, trade and ideas.

Meanwhile, India and Burma concluded the first consultative group meeting in New Delhi Feb. 10-11 on non-traditional security. India and Burma delegates exchanged views on neighboring security and agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation including counter-terrorism by exchange of information and intelligence, capacity building, legal cooperation and joint curbs on illegal trafficking in drugs and psychological substances, small arms and light weapons.

Leading the Burmese delegation was U. Win Mra, director general of International Organizations and the Economics Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Both delegations were comprised of representatives of the Ministry of External Affairs as well as other relevant ministries and agencies.

The next consultative group meeting will be held in Rangoon, capital of Burma.