Indian foreign secretary, army chief meet Aung San Suu Kyi

NEW DELHI, Oct 5, 2020, HT. Foreign secretary Harsh Shringla and Indian Army chief Gen MM Naravane met Myanmar’s state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi for talks on taking forward bilateral relations in a wide range of areas, Hindustan Times reported.

As part of India’s efforts to help Myanmar fight the Covid-19 pandemic, Shringla and Naravane handed over a consignment of 3,000 vials of the drug Remdesivir to Suu Kyi, officials said.

The foreign secretary and the army chief began two-day visit to Myanmar on Sunday, the first time an Indian delegation to the neighbouring country has included both officials. Their meetings with Myanmar’s top civil and military leadership are meant to take forward ties in areas ranging from security to connectivity.

Shringla and Naravane discussed “important bilateral issues” during their meeting with Suu Kyi at the foreign ministry in Naypyitaw, the Indian embassy said in a tweet without giving details.

The operationalisation of Myanmar’s Sittwe port as part of the Kaladan transit transport project to boost connectivity with India’s northeastern states and enhanced security cooperation to counter activities of militant groups, especially along the borders in Manipur and Nagaland are among the key issues on the agenda of the Indian delegation, people familiar with developments said on condition of anonymity.