Myanmar Navy's commander-in-chief hold talks with Sitharaman

New Delhi: Myanmar Navy's commander-in-chief Admiral Tin Aung San on Wednesday called on Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and held talks with top brass of the Indian Navy and the Army and explored ways to boost bilateral military cooperation, particularly in the maritime sphere. The visit by the top Myanmar Navy official comes amid the Rohingya crisis.
During his meeting with Sitharaman, a host of issues relating to stepping up cooperation between navies of the two neighbours were discussed, official sources said.
"The visit is intended to consolidate and enhance bilateral defence relations between India and Myanmar," the defence ministry said.
Admiral San held extensive talks with his Indian counterpart Admiral Sunil Lanba, during which ways to increase operational coordination between the two navies were deliberated upon.
The evolving security situation in the Indian Ocean Region and overall regional dynamics were discussed during the talks. Admiral San also met Army Chief General Bipin Rawat and they are understood to have discussed ways to ensure better coordination between the security forces of the two countries along the Indo-Myanmar border.
Myanmar is one of India's strategic neighbours and shares a 1,640-km-long border with a number of northeastern states including militancy-hit Nagaland and Manipur. Security forces in these northeastern states sharing boundary with Myanmar have been told to keep a vigil to check possible crossing over of Rohingyas to India, sources said.
The Rohingya crisis is understood to have figured in the meetings Admiral San had with the Indian security brass, the sources said. He reached India on a four-day visit on September 18.
"Naval cooperation between India and Myanmar has been traditionally strong, encompassing a wide span which includes operational interactions through coordinated patrols, training, port calls, passage exercises along with capacity building and capability augmentation initiatives," the statement said.
The admiral visited various naval establishments at Mumbai and Kochi as part of his itinerary prior to arriving in New Delhi, the defence ministry said.