The seventh round of Foreign Office Consultations between India and Myanmar was held in Yangon on 18 June 2006. The Indian side was led by Foreign Secretary Mr. Shyam Saran who was accompanied by senior officials of the Ministry of External Affairs. The Myanmar side was led by Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. U Kyaw Thu and senior officials and advisers of the Government of the Union of Myanmar.

The talks covered the entire gamut of India-Myanmar bilateral relations, with special emphasis on issues such as security, energy, trade & economic cooperation and infrastructure projects. While noting the excellent state of bilateral ties, both sides explored ways and means to exploit the immense potential for cooperation that exists in areas such as energy and trade. Both sides agreed to take expeditious steps to implement infrastructure projects which were in different stages of negotiation. The two sides also took stock of the common security challenges facing their respective countries and stressed the need for keeping their borders peaceful and tranquil.
Myanmar is a close and friendly neighbour of India which provides us a “gateway” to ASEAN. The strategic importance of our ties with Myanmar can therefore be hardly overemphasized. Rashtrapatiji’s state visit to Myanmar in March 2006 was an important milestone in bilateral relations. The present Foreign Office Consultations with Myanmar provided an excellent opportunity to take follow-up action on that visit and outline further steps that needed to be taken to enhance bilateral cooperation in various spheres.

New Delhi
June 20, 2006