India, Myanmar to boost economic, energy ties

Indo Asian News Service: 20 June, 2006

New Delhi:  India and Myanmar, considered a gateway to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), have decided to take their energy and economic ties to a new level by focusing their efforts on large infrastructure projects.

An entire array of bilateral and regional issues was discussed between the two countries during the seventh round of foreign office consultations between India and Myanmar, held in Yangon Sunday.

Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran, a former ambassador here, led the Indian delegation while the Myanmar side was led by Deputy Foreign Minister U Kyaw Thu.

"The talks covered the entire gamut of India-Myanmar bilateral relations, with special emphasis on issues such as security, energy, trade and economic cooperation and infrastructure projects," the external affairs ministry said in a statement.

Both sides explored ways and means to exploit the immense potential for cooperation that exists in areas such as energy and trade. The Myanmar-Bangladesh-India pipeline was also discussed.

The two sides also discussed the problem of terrorism and insurgents from India's northeast who have sneaked into Myanmar.

"The two took stock of the common security challenges facing their respective countries and stressed the need for keeping their borders peaceful and tranquil," the statement said.

India has decided to build a port at Settwe on the Myanmar coast to give connectivity to the northeastern state of Mizoram.