Indian Prime Minister Modi meets head of Myanmar military government in New Delhi | Narendra Modi News

India says it will continue its ties with Myanmar after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the country’s military government, in New Delhi.

Indian Foreign Minister Vikram Misri told reporters on Monday that Indian policy “is not intended to be a commentary on the internal political arrangements” in Myanmar and that New Delhi believes engagement is the best way forward.

Western countries have sought to isolate Myanmar’s military rulers since they toppled the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in a 2021 coup that sparked a crackdown on opponents and a brutal civil war.

The conflict began when the country’s army chief, Min Aung Hlaing, overthrew the government and arrested civilian leaders, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

Some critics and human rights groups have said Min Aung Hlaing’s visit to India risks giving legitimacy to the military-backed government.

“We have always assumed that sustained dialogue is what is important,” Misri said, adding that isolating Myanmar would be counterproductive.

“History has shown that disengagement does not get us better results than engagement.”

The visit is Min Aung Hlaing’s first to India since he was sworn in as president in April following an election that critics say was aimed at consolidating his grip on power. His last visit to India was in 2019, when he was Myanmar’s military leader.

He arrived in India on Saturday, first in the eastern state of Bihar, with a visit to the Buddhist pilgrimage site of Bodh Gaya, where believers say the Buddha achieved enlightenment.

India shares a 1,643-kilometer (1,020-mile) border with Myanmar and a maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal.

Strategic partnership

Myanmar is also of strategic importance to India’s security interests. The two countries have cooperated on border security and intelligence sharing to combat armed rebel groups.

Modi and Min Aung Hlaing did not address the media after their meeting, as is usually the case after most bilateral talks involving heads of state or government visiting New Delhi.

But Misri said the two leaders discussed trade, defense and security cooperation, border management and regional issues, with discussions also focusing on developing economic and technological ties. He said the two sides agreed to deepen collaboration across sectors, including trade, energy and critical minerals, and accelerate major connectivity projects.

Min Aung Hlaing is expected to hold talks with business representatives during his five-day visit and will visit the financial hub of Mumbai.

Bilateral trade stood at $1.95 billion in 2025-2026, according to New Delhi.

The leaders also discussed cooperation against cybercrime and human trafficking, issues that have affected thousands of Indians lured to the region’s scam hubs.

Misri said India and Myanmar had worked together to rescue more than 2,400 Indian nationals in the last 18 months.

Resistance groups formed after the 2021 coup have taken over swaths of Myanmar. Others sought out and fought under ethnic armies in exchange for training and weapons with which to fight the military.

These resistance groups, known as the People’s Defense Forces (PDF), nominally operate under the leadership of the National Unity Government (NUG), a shadow government formed by Myanmar lawmakers overthrown by the military coup.

Zin Mar Aung, the NUG foreign minister, wrote a letter to Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the foreign minister of India, on May 28 to express his concern over the visit.

“Since the 2021 military coup, which overthrew the democratic will of the people, Myanmar has endured protracted conflict, instability and immense humanitarian suffering,” she said.

“India has long championed democratic governance, the rule of law and regional stability. We therefore urge the Indian government to carefully weigh the broader implications of formal engagement that could normalize or legitimize military rule in Myanmar.”