Bangkok: 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday told Myanmar's top leader that India is ready to offer more help to the country after the recent earthquake and pushed for 'credible and inclusive elections' to resolve the conflict there.

Modi met Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the head of Myanmar's military government, on the sidelines of the 6th summit of the leaders of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral and Technical Cooperation (BIMSTEC) grouping here.

This was the Prime Minister's first interaction with Senior General Min, who came to power in a military coup in February 2021, displacing the democratically elected Aung San Suu Kyi's government.

A large part of the 35-minute meeting was focused on Operation Brahma which India has launched towards relief efforts in the aftermath of the massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake on March 28 that has left over 3,100 dead in Myanmar.

The Prime Minister also appreciated the support Myanmar has extended to the rescue and repatriation of Indian nationals from cyber scam cartels operating on the border between Myanmar and Thailand.

The two leaders also agreed on cooperation on matters on activities of insurgent groups along the India-Myanmar border, transnational crimes and human trafficking along the border.

During the meeting, the Myanmarese ruler appreciated the speed at which India sent in assistance immediately after the March 28 earthquake. A senior official of the Myanmar administration also visited the hospital set up by India in Mandalay.

India has 250 personnel on the ground in Myanmar running a field hospital and helping the relief and rehabilitation efforts in the worst-hit region of Mandalay, near the epicentre of the quake.

India has also deployed its National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel who are assisting in the relief work in Myanmar. The BIMSTEC grouping is a regional initiative involving countries in India's neighbourhood along the Bay of Bengal rim.

Myanmar is considered a cog in the wheel for the success of BIMSTEC, whose key aim is to promote connectivity between the member nations. All the key projects to connect the member nations pass through Myanmar where the local administration has little control in the different regions of the country.

The massive earthquake opened an opportunity for Myanmar to engage with the global community of nations as it seeks humanitarian assistance to recover from the earthquake.

Over 3,100 people have died in the Myanmar earthquake, nearly 5,000 were injured, and more than 370 remain missing nationwide since last week's quake. The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs said BIMSTEC members discussed disaster management during ministerial meetings on Thursday.

While China has quantified the aid it has dispatched to Myanmar, India has maintained that it does not believe in putting a monetary value on the humanitarian aid it extends to countries in times of crisis.

“The Prime Minister also underlined the importance of early restoration of the democratic process in Myanmar, including through credible and inclusive elections,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told reporters here.

He said the Prime Minister told the Myanmarese leader that India would support all efforts as it has in the past in fostering trust and advancing a “Myanmar-owned and Myanmar-led transition towards a peaceful, stable and democratic Myanmar.”

Alluding to the human cost of the ongoing ethnic violence in Myanmar, the PM underlined that there was no military solution to the conflict and stressed that enduring peace could only be achieved through an inclusive dialogue, a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

“Met Senior General Min Aung Hlaing of Myanmar on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok. Once again expressed condolences on the loss of lives and damage to property in the wake of the recent earthquake. India is doing whatever is possible to assist our sisters and brothers of Myanmar in this critical time,” Modi wrote on X.

“We also discussed bilateral relations between India and Myanmar, particularly in sectors like connectivity, capacity building, infrastructure development and more,” he said. Sources said the Senior General thanked the Prime Minister for the relief assistance.

He also appreciated the Prime Minister's reconstruction work and leadership during the Bhuj earthquake of January 2001 when Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat and the learnings for Myanmar and others from it, sources added.

Read More:

China Imposes A 34 Per Cent Tariff On Imports Of All US Products Starting April 10