India reaffirms commitment to deepen Myanmar ties as security and connectivity remain in focus

New Delhi: India has reaffirmed its commitment to deepen its multifaceted relationship with Myanmar during talks between the minister of state for external affairs, Pabitra Margherita, and a visiting Myanmar parliamentary delegation in New Delhi on Monday. The delegation is led by Dr Pwint San, chairperson of the Burmese parliament’s international relations committee.

Margherita said India remained committed to expanding bilateral ties under its neighbourhood first, act east and Mahasagar policies, building on historical and people-to-people links between the two countries. No new agreement or memorandum of understanding was announced in the public readout of Monday’s interaction.

The 30-member Myanmar parliamentary delegation represents six national and nine ethnic parties and is visiting India from September 1 to 8. It is attending a capacity building programme organized by the Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies, the training and research wing of the Lok Sabha Secretariat.

The engagement follows a series of India-Myanmar contacts this year. During high level talks in June, the two sides identified trade, security, border management, development assistance, connectivity and cultural exchanges among the areas for continued cooperation.

Myanmar central to India’s Act East connectivity

Myanmar is the only Asean country sharing a land border with India. The 1,643-kilometre India-Myanmar border runs along Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram, making developments across the frontier relevant to both connectivity and security in India’s Northeast.

New Delhi also views Myanmar as an important land link between northeastern India and Southeast Asia. The Kaladan Multi Modal Transit Transport Project and the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway remain the two principal Indian supported connectivity projects.

The Kaladan project’s waterway component was inaugurated in May 2023, while work remains on the road connection between Paletwa in Myanmar and Zorinpui in Mizoram. The Kalewa-Yargi section of the Trilateral Highway was completed and handed over to Myanmar in October 2025.

Security remains a significant part of bilateral engagement. At an India-Myanmar national level meeting in New Delhi in July, officials discussed terrorism, insurgency, narcotics trafficking, arms smuggling, human trafficking, cybercrime and other transnational threats.

The two sides agreed to strengthen intelligence sharing and operational coordination along the shared border. Myanmar also reiterated that its territory would not be allowed to be used for activities directed against India’s security interests.

Monday’s parliamentary engagement did not announce any new border-security arrangement and remained focused on wider bilateral and institutional ties.

Trade and development cooperation continues

Economic and development cooperation also remains on the agenda. During the June talks, India and Myanmar discussed facilitating trade through the Rupee-Kyat settlement mechanism as well as opportunities in agriculture, energy, petroleum and mining.

India has continued development assistance and capacity building programmes in Myanmar while supporting completion of the Kaladan and Trilateral Highway projects. The June India-Myanmar joint statement described New Delhi as a “steadfast and trusted partner” in Myanmar’s development.

Myanmar has faced prolonged political and security instability since 2021. India’s current official position emphasises peace, stability and national reconciliation while maintaining engagement with Myanmar on security, development and connectivity.

Earlier during the delegation’s visit, the Lok Sabha speaker, Om Birla, reiterated India’s support for peace and national reconciliation and offered continued cooperation in strengthening parliamentary institutions.