Press Briefing by Foreign Secretary Mr. Shyam Saran

07/03/2006

Official Spokesperson (Mr. Navtej Sarna): Good evening everybody. We welcome the Foreign Secretary for the briefing on Rashtrapatiji’s forthcoming visit to Mauritius and Myanmar. We also have here Press Secretary to President Shri S.M. Khan and the Joint Secretaries concerned with the two Divisions.

I would first request the FS to speak.

Foreign Secretary (Mr. Shyam Saran): Thank you very much and good afternoon to all of you.

As you know, Rashtrapatiji will be visiting both Myanmar as well as Mauritius in the next few days. The visit to Myanmar will be from the 8th of March to the 10th of March, and to Mauritius it would be from the 11th of March to the 13th of March.

President is going to Myanmar in response to a longstanding invitation from the Head of State of Myanmar. As you know, he had visited India sometime back. This would be the highest level visit from India in a long time. It is a very significant visit. It is a visit which will have considerable amount of substantive content.

We will be taking forward our ongoing cooperation in fields like space. We have been assisting Myanmar with our remote sensing capabilities. We have been sharing with them data on Myanmar from our IRS satellite. In fact there will be an agreement which would be signed during the visit for the setting up of a ground station in Myanmar for receiving directly the IRS data. This data is of great importance to Myanmar, to its economy. It has, as you know, uses in agriculture, crop forecasting, soil surveying, mineral surveys, and watershed management. So, there is a whole series of uses that this technology can be put to. This is something which we have been involved in for the last several years, building up capacities in Myanmar. So, a stage has now been arrived where they can actually receive this data directly and analyse this data to their advantage.

The other area, as you know, we have been working together with Myanmar is on the energy side. We are already involved in a couple of exploration ventures essentially on the Arakan coast which is just opposite our own eastern seaboard. What we are looking at is an agreement between the two sides for the evacuation of natural gas which would be produced in these exploration blocks. There can be various ways of doing it. We can do it either directly by pipeline from Myanmar directly into our North-East. As you know we have been looking at the possibility of a pipeline from Myanmar through Bangladesh to India. But we also have an option to look at some other routing for the pipeline. And we also have the option of converting this into LNG and shipping it to India. Since the distance is really not very much, in fact this could be quite cost effective. So, there are various options we are looking at. But during this visit we would be tying up an arrangement whereby the evacuation of gas to India would be something which would be agreed upon.

Then we have, of course, been helping Myanmar in the telecom sector, in the transportation sector. In the transportation sector another project which we would be really now inaugurating in a sense the execution of the project is the Kaladan multimodal transport project. This is very important because this is really a transport artery again going through the Arakan Province of Myanmar from the ancient port of Sitwe which was in the old days used to be known as Akyat. Those of you who are familiar with the earlier trade routes in this region, Akyat used to be very important for the rice trade. You know, rice and other commodities from Myanmar using the sea route going down to Kolkata, to Chennai and back again. So, this used to be a very important at one time.

What we are really involved in is a project which would upgrade this port and use both river transportation as well as a highway which would enter southern Mizoram. So, you would have Kolkata to Sitwe shipping route and then this would link up with a river and highway route straight into southern Mizoram. It gives a kind of an alternative access to our North-East and also an exit from our North-East. So, it is very important, both economic as well significance in terms of increasing the economic viability of projects that we do in our North-East. That is something which has now reached a point where we are about to start working on the project actually. All the initial work has been done.

We also have, between Myanmar and India, a very strong cultural link. As you know, Myanmar is a country where Buddhism enjoys very great reverence among people. That link, Buddhist link, between our two countries is really a very strong bond. We have a project for promoting exchanges in the field of Buddhist studies between the two sides. We have a special programme for Buddhist pilgrims to visit from Myanmar to India. The groups of pilgrims who come to India, we have a visa free entry for those groups. This is something which is very much appreciated by Myanmar.

I would also like to inform you that the President would, during his stay in Yangon, will be visiting the much revered Shwedagon pagoda which is a very ancient pagoda. Legend has it that there were two traders from Myanmar who were visiting India during the life time of Lord Buddha himself and they were privileged to have two strands of hair of Buddha which they brought to Myanmar and the original Shwedagon pagoda was actually built around these relics which were enshrined.

Another very strong historical link between the two sides, one of the other places Rashtrapatiji would be visiting is the mazaar of Bahadur Shah Zafar. Those of you who are familiar with history would recall that Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last emperor of India, was exiled to Yangon and the last king of Burma was exiled to Ratnagiri in Maharashtra. So, there is also that very strong historical link. We have contributed a great deal to the upkeep of the Bahadur Shah Zafar mazaar. And it has become a point of a must-visit place for those of us who go to Yangon. So, Rasthrapatiji would also be visiting the mazaar when he is in Yangon.

Rashtrapatiji will also be visiting Mandalay which is one of the most important cities of Myanmar.

He would be having talks with Senior General Than Shwe. We will cover a whole host of bilateral as well as regional issues. So, a very important visit because this is a very important neighbour for us. As you know, Myanmar is in a sense our gateway to ASEAN. It is also an important country because we have 1400 kilometres long land boundary with Myanmar. And this land boundary really straddles the four most important and sensitive North-Eastern States of India starting from Arunachal Pradesh, you have Nagaland, you have Manipur and you have Mizoram. So, from that point of view a very important neighbour for us. We also share the Bay of Bengal - another strategic stretch of sea for both our countries.

So, this is as far as Myanmar is concerned.

The visit to Mauritius, Rashtrapatiji will be the Chief Guest at the Republic Day Anniversary of Mauritius, which is on the 12th of March. I do not think I really need to say very much about the very close relationship which exists between India and Mauritius. And not merely because 70 per cent plus of the population is of Indian origin. Mauritius enjoys an importance for India from several points of view. Of course, it is one of the most strategically located islands in the Indian Ocean. So, it has a significance because of that.

Even though Mauritius is a very small island, you would be amazed that the Exclusive Economic Zone of Mauritius is probably not much smaller than that of India because of the island territories that Mauritius covers. Over the past several years Mauritius has also become very important to India from the economic and trade point of view. As you know, we have a very unique double tax treaty with Mauritius. As a result of this Treaty, Mauritius has become a very favoured, very privileged conduit for investment into India. So, a lot of the foreign funds which come to India come through the Mauritius route. So, in a sense, Mauritius has played an important role in terms of the liberalized investment environment which has been created in India.

In addition to that, more and more Indian companies are looking at Mauritius as a kind of base to access the African mainland because of its location and because of its own linkages with Africa being an African country, being a member of the African Union. It is also a very important member of the South African Development Cooperation Organisation (SADC). So, because of those linkages, whatever India is able to do in Mauritius, it can also leverage that into access into Africa.

Mauritius has another advantage that it is bilingual - they are both English-speaking as well as French-speaking - because of historical reasons. So, there is a certain advantage also that Mauritius offers for our companies for entry into French-speaking Africa. Over the last few years Mauritius has become an important place for our information technology companies. We helped Mauritius set up a Cyber Tower, like our cyber city. A large number of the firms which are operating from the Cyber Tower are in fact Indian information technology companies. So, this relationship is going to grow.

Currently, Mauritius is facing a challenge. You know there are three legs of Mauritian economy - one is tourism, the other is sugar and the third is textiles. Mauritius’ prosperity has really been built on these three pillars. While Mauritius is doing really well as far as tourism is concerned, and in fact Indian tourism is contributing to the prosperity of this sector, sugar is losing its concessions in the European market because it had a certain privileged access, that is being eroded. With the multifibre agreement, whatever quota entry that it had into the European market, that advantage is no longer there. So, the country is undergoing a certain transition. Essentially what it is trying to do is to try to develop its service sector, the financial sector, the information technology sector, trying to create Mauritius as a kind of a regional center for education, for health. These are precisely the areas in which we have certain strengths. In fact Indian companies and Indian organization are taking advantage of that and helping Mauritius make that transition successfully.

So, Rashtrapatiji’s visit is coming at a very important time. It is not just a ceremonial visit for being a Chief Guest at the Republic Day Anniversary, but also an occasion to revisit some of these very important elements in bilateral cooperation between our two countries.

While in Mauritius, Rashtrapatiji will have an occasion to visit the Cyber Tower which has been built, as I mentioned to you, with our assistance. He will also have a chance to visit the Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre, again something set up by India, with Indian assistance. It is for the popularization of science, especially among young people. He will have an occasion to interact with university students in the University of Mauritius. Of course, he will have the opportunity to meet his counterpart, President Anerood Jugnauth, who used to be Prime Minister earlier of Mauritius, and of course other Mauritian leaders including Prime Minister Ramgoolam.

So, both these visits of Rashtrapatiji will be very important visits in terms of our bilateral relations. Mauritius and India have a very privileged relationship and this visit will go a very long way in consolidating and promoting these relations.

I will now stop and maybe I can spend a few minutes taking your questions.

Question: George W. Bush said he and the Indian Prime Minister agreed … to seek Aung San Suu Kyi’s release. May I know if the Indian President will be conveying this message to the Burmese military head?

Foreign Secretary: We have stated quite publicly that we have welcomed the commitment which has been made by the leadership of Myanmar to the restoration of multiparty democracy. This is something that we support and we hope that this can be achieved sooner rather than later. We have also welcomed the national convention process but we have also said that for a national convention process which would be looking at final political arrangements in the country it needs to be as inclusive as possible. So, its credibility would be furthered if it was a more inclusive process.

As far as Aung San Suu Kyi is concerned, you know that she enjoys a lot of respect and admiration not only in India because in India, of course, she had been a student here, she had lived in India, she has a very large network of friends and admirers in India, but she also has a certain international standing. Therefore, we do believe that her welfare and her release would be very helpful in terms of the process of democratization that Myanmar itself is engaged in. Being the daughter of General Aung San who in a sense is regarded as the father of modern Myanmar, she has a certain standing and I think due respect and position should be given to her. We believe that she can contribute to the emergence of Myanmar as a democratic country, as a member of the international community.

Question: Sir, President Bush also said and I quote on Burma “we agree on the deplorable state of human rights in Burma and all nations should seek the release of Aung San Suu Kyi”. This is the joint statement at the joint press conference. Does India really agrees with this?

Foreign Secretary: I am afraid, I think you are making a mistake, there is nothing on it in the Joint Statement. You are referring to what President Bush said in his remarks.

The issue of Myanmar did come up and the Prime Minister of India explained the importance of the relationship between India and Myanmar. I gave you a sense of why these relations are important. India and Myanmar are very close neighbours. I mentioned to you that the Myanmar-India border straddles the four of our most sensitive North-Eastern States. We are looking at Myanmar as a bridgehead to South East Asia. So, there are various reasons for which it is important for India and Myanmar to remain engaged. Now, while we remain engaged, does it mean that we do not care about democracy in Myanmar? No. As I just explained to you, in the meetings that our leaders have had with leaders of Myanmar, as a friend we have made known also our view on the current situation.

Question: … (inaudible) ….

Foreign Secretary: I do not think it is accurate to look at India-China rivalry in Myanmar just as I think it is not appropriate to look for India-China rivalry at every nook and corner of Asia. I do not believe that is the real situation. India-Myanmar relations stand on their own, again for the reasons that I mentioned. The fact is that this is a very important neighbour to India. We have very long historical and cultural associations with this country. We have important economic stakes in this country. I mentioned the energy factor. So, there are very good reasons why India must remain engaged with Myanmar. Now, as far as what pressure other South-East Asian countries may be putting on Myanmar, really that isnot for me to comment on. I have given you a sense of where we stand on the issue.

With regard to your second question, yes, we do have defence relationship, a normal defence relationship in the sense that there are Myanmar trainees who come to India for training in our institutions. Some equipment has been made available to Myanmar because we are also cooperating together with one another in dealing with insurgency that sometimes has a cross border dimension.

Question: Mr. Saran when you were Ambassador in Myanmar you made it a point to visit Bahadur Shah Zafar mazaar on Independence Day and Republic Day. I just wanted you to ask what you saw as the significance of those visits?
Foreign Secretary: The significance of those visits is that this is part of your history. Bahadur Shah Zafar has a certain role that he played in our independence struggle and I think it is important for us as Indians to remember that role that he played and pay our respects and admiration for him.

Question: The 150th year of the 1857 revolt is coming, would there be anything that might be done there or in association with Myanmar?

Foreign Secretary: We have not given that any thought yet.

Question: …deep sea port on the Arakan coast, will it be used by China against India for military purposes?

Foreign Secretary: Number one, I am not aware that China is actually making a deepwater port. In fact, we ourselves have been involved in doing a survey. If I am not mistaken you are referring to the port of Chokyu which is on the Arakan coast. We ourselves have done a survey. It is in fact a port which can be of great commercial significance for Myanmar. Certainly being a port which is opposite to our eastern seaboard we have considered it to be a very important infrastructure project which can promote trade between India and Myanmar. There are a lot things that we can do together. The development of this port is something that we ourselves can look at.

Question: The Chinese are also interested in the natural gas. Have they started supplying natural gas to China?

Foreign Secretary: Just as India is interested in energy supplies from wherever we can get it, I am not surprised that China too is interested in these supplies. But we believe that since we have been involved in at least two exploration projects on the Arakan coast, we believe that we can have access to some quantities of gas from Myanmar. How to evacuate the gas is one of the issues that we need to look at. I mentioned to you that there are several alternatives that we are looking at. We can have a pipeline through Mizoram. We can have a pipeline through Bangladesh if that is possible. We are also looking at the possibility of LNG option for this gas.

Thank you very much indeed