Ansari meets head of Myanmar`s military junta

Pallab Bhattacharya

Nay Pyi Taw (Myanmar), Feb 6 (PTI) Giving a leg-up to the
deepening bilateral engagement, Myanmar and India have
identified two new areas of cooperation -- agriculture and
railway -- as Vice President Hamid Ansari Friday met the head
of the country's military junta Gen Than She here.

The meeting between two leaders has taken place amidst
indications that ties between New Delhi and Yangon are set to
move into a meaningful phase.

Myanmar sought India's assistance in agriculture and
agriculture technology and in strengthening its railway
network expressing keen interest to buy locomotives.

Gen Maung Aye, with whom Ansari had extensive discussions
covering all aspects of bilateral relations Thursday, noted
the great progress made by India in the field of agriculture
and agriculture technology and wanted cooperation in this
area, Special Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs,
Vivek Katzu said.

The officials of the two countries will now get down to
identifying specific areas of cooperation in agriculture,
Katzu told Indian journalists accompanying the Vice President
here late last night.

"We have to work out plans for specific areas of
cooperation in agriculture," said Indian Ambassador to
Myanmar, Aloke Sen.

Katju also said another sector that emerged for
cooperation is railway where Myanmar has sought India's help
in extending its own rail network as part of its policy for
strengthening the public transport sector.
India has in the past supplied locomotives and impressed
by their performance. Myanmar is keen to have more of them, a
senior official said.

What has enthused Myanmar in going for cooperation in
railway sector is India's own huge rail network and its
efficient functioning, Sen said.

India, for its turn, expressed deep interest in larger
footprints of Myanmar's rich hydrocarbon sector which, along
with hydropower and transportation, was singled out as a focus
area of growth which could take bilateral relationship to a
meaningful and substantive phase.

Ansari's talks with Myanmar's leadership brought out a
clear and common understanding that bilateral relationship has
moved in a positive direction and is posed for a time when the
future should be shaped by keeping the focus on projects in
sectors of mutual interest.

In a measure of the importance given by Myanmar to
Ansari's visit, which is part of an interactive process
between the two countries at the highest level, ten ministers
and the Prime Minister of this country were present at the
over two-hour delegation-level talks yesterday. As a senior
Myanmarese official put it: "almost the entire cabinet was at
the meeting".

There is a clear feeling in both the governments that the
way forward lies only through economic cooperation as New
Delhi reckons the India-Myanmar relations in the last seven
years have taken a qualitatively higher trajectory
encompassing a range of sectors -- road, power, hydrocarbon,
telecom and information technology.

While India has been spurred to enhance its ties with
Myanmar mainly guided by its own security interests given the
insurgencies in northeastern states and its quest for energy
security, Yangon has succeeded in taking advantage of New
Delhi's economic, strategic and geopolitical imperatives,
officials of both the countries here say.

India has ignored frequent nudges from the US and West
European countries to shed its low-key response to Myanmar's
handling of pro-democracy movement in the country and has
walked a diplomatic tightrope, balancing energy and strategic
security concerns with its commitment to democracy.

India had rolled out the red carpet for Myanmar's
military rulers in the last five years with a high point being
the visit by strongman Than Shwe to India in 2004. PTI