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Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing will arrive in India on Saturday for a visit, his first after the formation of a new government following elections in the neighbouring country, aimed at strengthening diplomatic and economic relations.

Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing, who retired from the army in March to successfully contest Myanmar’s presidential election, will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 1 (AFP)Hlaing, who will be in India from May 30 to June 3 with a high-level delegation comprising several cabinet ministers and business leaders, was earlier scheduled to visit New Delhi to participate in the International Big Cat Alliance Summit on June 1, which has been deferred.

Hlaing, who retired from the army in March to successfully contest Myanmar’s presidential election, will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 1 to further strengthen ties between the two countries. He will also participate in a business forum, the external affairs ministry said on Thursday while announcing the visit.

Hlaing will also travel to Bodh Gaya on May 30 and to Mumbai on June 2 for business and industry interactions and site visits.

Myanmar lies at the confluence of India’s Neighborhood First, Act East and MAHASAGAR policies, and Hlaing’s visit is expected to strengthen and deepen the multi-faceted relations between the two countries, the external affairs ministry said.

India was represented at Hlaing’s inauguration in April by minister of state for external affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, who also met leaders in Nay Pyi Taw to take forward bilateral engagements in trade and development assistance.

Earlier this month, Myanmar’s new military chief, Gen Ye Win Oo, held talks with the Indian Navy chief, Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, marking his first meeting with a foreign military leader since assuming the post on March 30.

The Indian side continues to have concerns about anti-India separatist groups that have been operating in Myanmar’s Sagaing Region, located along the border with the country.

The Indian government has so far refrained from commenting on the elections in Myanmar or the formation of the new government led by Hlaing, who led the coup against the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.

However, Singh’s participation in the Hlaing’s inauguration signalled India’s willingness to engage with the new regime, primarily because of security concerns related to India’s strategic northeastern region.

Rezaul H Laskar is the Foreign Affairs Editor at Hindustan Times. His interests include movies and music.