New Delhi, October 4: In a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Cabinet provided ex-post facto approval to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Myanmar on upgradation of the Women’s Police Training Centre at Yamethin, Myanmar.
Myanmar shares a long land border of over 1600 Km with India as well as a maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal. Both countries share a heritage of religious, linguistic and ethnic ties. Myanmar has a substantial population of Indian origin.
Further, Myanmar is our gateway to South East Asia and ASEAN with which we are seeking greater economic integration through India’s 'Look East' and ‘Act East’ Policy. Myanmar also offers us an alternative access route to the Northeast.
Apart from supply of pulses, possibilities of energy supply from offshore blocks in Myanmar and business opportunities that emerging from an opening economy underpin bilateral relations.
India and Myanmar signed a trade agreement in 1970. Bilateral trade has been growing steadily reaching USD 1571.95 million in 2014-15 (Exports to Myanmar USD 773.74 million and Imports from Myanmar USD 1016.86 million) and India is the fourth largest trade partner of Myanmar but trade remains below potential.