India Hopes For Fair Elections In Myanmar: PM Modi To Myanmar's Junta Chief

India hopes that the forthcoming elections in Myanmar will be held in a fair and inclusive manner involving all stakeholders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the head of Myanmar's military junta, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, on Sunday. Modi met Hlaing on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin.

The prime minister also conveyed to the Senior General that India supports a 'Myanmar-led and Myanmar-owned peace process'.

'The prime minister expressed the hope that the forthcoming elections in Myanmar will be held in a fair and inclusive manner involving all stakeholders,' the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

'He underlined that India supports a Myanmar-led and Myanmar-owned peace process, for which peaceful dialogue and consultation is the only way forward,' it said in a statement.

Modi also noted that India attaches importance to its ties with Myanmar as part of its 'Neighbourhood First', 'Act East' and 'Indo-Pacific' policies.

'The two leaders reviewed bilateral ties and discussed the way forward on several aspects of bilateral cooperation, including development partnership, defence and security, border management and border trade issues,' the MEA said.

It said PM Modi stressed that progress on ongoing connectivity projects would foster greater interaction between the people of the two countries.

At a media briefing, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said there was also a discussion on the security and border issues.

Myanmar is one of India's strategic neighbours and it shares a 1,640 kilometre-long border with a number of northeastern states including militancy-hit Nagaland and Manipur.

The country has been witnessing wide-spread violent protests demanding restoration of democracy since the military seized power in the coup on February 1, 2021.

The resistance forces have already captured many key trading points along the borders with India, China and Bangladesh.