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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday urged Myanmar's President U Min Aung Hlaing to find a path towards democratic transition in the country and emphasised the need for the inclusion of all stakeholders in the country's peace process.
Responding to a media query on if PM Modi raised concerns about Aung San Suu Kyi, the State Counsellor of Myanmar, who was ousted following a coup in 2021, and the state of democracy in Myanmar during his bilateral meeting, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, "The Prime Minister did raise this matter with the President, and this was a discussion that was largely in the context of the peace process that is or has been underway in Myanmar for quite some time. The effort to bring in all the ethnic groups onto the same platform and find a way forward within a united Myanmar." Misri pointed out that a final agreement among all stakeholders has not yet been reached, but emphasised that PM Modi highlighted the importance of Myanmar returning to democracy, achieving lasting peace, ensuring inclusivity, and involving all stakeholders in the process. "This is something that you are aware has been going on for a long period of time. There isn't yet a final agreement between all stakeholders. And in the context of the points that the Prime Minister was making on the need for Myanmar to find its way back towards democracy, the need for an enduring peace in the country, the need for inclusion, and the need to have all stakeholders at the table and to examine the points of views of all the interlocutors who have been part of this process over a long period of time," he added. Clarifying India's stance, Misri said that engagement with Myanmar is not meant to comment on its internal politics but is guided by the principle that sustained dialogue is essential for India as a neighbour. He firmly ruled out disengagement, noting that history shows it neither advances democratic change nor produces better outcomes than active engagement. "Our engagement with Myanmar is not intended to be a commentary on the internal political arrangements in that country. We have always proceeded on the principle that sustained dialogue is what is important and what is an imperative for India as a neighbour," the Foreign Secretary said. "And the answer is clearly not disengagement. History has shown that disengagement doesn't give us any results that are better than engagement, and it certainly doesn't produce democratic change, if that is what we are interested in," he added. Misri also stated that disengagement creates a vacuum that others, who have no interest in democracy, are quick to fill, to India's disadvantage and stressed that India has consistently engaged with Myanmar, using these interactions to convey its views on democracy, the peace process, inclusivity, and the crucial need to involve all stakeholders in the dialogue. "Disengagement only produces a vacuum that others go on to fill, to our detriment. And those others have no interest in democracy, I can assure you about that. So, we have consistently engaged, and while engaging, we have always put forward our thoughts on all of these issues related to democracy, related to the peace process, related to inclusion, and to the absolute importance of having all stakeholders as part of the dialogue at the table," the Foreign Secretary added. The 2021 coup was led by U Min Aung Hlaing, who was a general at that time. He is currently in India in the capacity of the President of a Southeast Asian country for a four-day visit from May 30 to June 2. (ANI)
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