Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday met Myanmar's President U Thein Sein to begin a string of bilateral meetings with over 40 world leaders during his 10-day three-nation tour on the margins of key multilateral summits in Myanmar and in Australia and a visit to Fiji.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday held talks with Myanmar President Thein Sein as India suggested the two countries should work out a joint strategy to tackle terrorism and insurgency along their border and enhance security cooperation.
Cooperation in security, energy, connectivity and agriculture will top Singh's agenda of talks with Myanmar's quasi-civilian government headed by President U Thein Sein in Nay Pyi Taw on Monday and the two countries are expected to sign a number of agreements in these areas during the visit, the first by an Indian premier in quarter of a century.
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid will leave for Myanmar on Friday on his first bilateral visit since assuming office and will hold talks with the top leadership there including Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The statements made by Obama and Suu Kyi during his Myanmar visit highlighted the differing perceptions of the two over the sustainability and durability of the actions taken by the Thein Sein government, notes B Raman.
Describing India and Myanmar as "natural partners", Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tonight suggested using the huge untapped potential of the economic relationship between the two countries for mutual benefit.
On the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Myanmar in quarter of a century, Manmohan Singh held 'broad-ranging' discussions with Myanmar President Thein Sein on a road map for bilateral cooperation and said New Delhi was committed to Myanmar's economic development.
India on Monday announced that it will provide a 500 million-dollar line of credit to Myanmar as the two countries signed agreements on a range of sectors, including air services, beginning a "new journey" of bilateral cooperation. On the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Myanmar in quarter of a century, Manmohan Singh held "broad-ranging" discussions with Myanmar President Thein Sein on a roadmap for bilateral cooperation.
Young men attend a punk show during the water festival at a music bar in Yangon. Myanmar celebrates the New Year Water Festival of Thingyan during the month of Tagu, which usually falls around mid-April
Seeking to elevate India's ties with resource-rich Myanmar, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived in Myanmar on Sunday on a historic visit during which the two sides will chart out a roadmap and take initiatives to bolster relations in several areas, including energy, trade and connectivity.
As Manmohan Singh arrived Nay Pyi Taw in Myanmar on Sunday for the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Myanmar in 25 years, it marked another milestone in this country's steady march out of decades of diplomatic isolation and military rule even as key questions remain about the sustainability of the political reform process.
Cooperation and national reconciliation, and not political confrontation, seems to be Aung San Suu Kyi's objective, believes B Raman
In a major boost to bilateral ties, India today announced a USD 500 million credit line for the traditionally close Chinese ally Myanmar even as New Delhi and Yangon decided to strengthen their strategic, economic and energy ties.
Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi is 'happy; that the United States is lifting sanctions on her country as she feels her countrymen should now take responsibility for its democratisation, a process she sees as a 'common goal' with President Thein Sein.
In an attempt to rectify the anti-democratic policies and human rights violations of the past by the military junta that ruled the country for 23 years till a few months ago, the government of President Thein Sein has started releasing from October 12,2011, political prisoners who were languishing in jail under the military dictatorship for many years.
The Indian government has tread a careful line in its relations with Myanmar. When Myanmar's President Thein Sein visits India from October 12 to 15, it will be a further step in the slowly expanding relations between the two countries, writes Shubha Singh
The BBC reports that United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Burma on Wednesday, on the first visit by such a senior American diplomat in 50 years.
Differences among the Association of South-East Asian Nations came to the fore on Tuesday night when 10 heads of governments aborted a briefing by United Nations Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari on the Myanmar situation after Prime Minister Gen Thein Sein strongly opposed the move.
Although Suu Kyi has won an overwhelming victory, it is not going to be easy to translate this victory into political gains.
On Tuesday, this was confirmed by a vote in parliament. Kyaw received 360 votes of the 652 cast, the parliamentary official counting the votes said on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Friday named 'Asian of the Year' by a leading Singaporean press group for being focused on India's development and getting the world "excited" about the prospects of the country again.
As India seeks to deepen its engagement with the 10-nation bloc of small and medium economies, Modi said both India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are keen to enhance their cooperation in advancing balance, peace and stability in the region.
The military delegation will be in Delhi "shortly" and confer with top Indian Army officials as well as those in the ministry of external affairs to evolve a road map for a counter-insurgency strategy, reports Nitin Gokhale.
Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy is expected to make big gains in the polls.
Thousands of people on Wednesday queued up outside Singapore's Parliament House to have a glimpse of the country's founding father Lee Kuan Yew lying in state as his casket was taken there for public viewing.
It was the first reasonably free and fair national election held there since 1990, when Aung San Suu Kyi's fledgling National League for Democracy won a landslide victory.
Leaders from the seven-nation Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation on Tuesday vowed to jointly combat the growing threat of terrorism, transnational crimes and drug trafficking and agreed to intensify efforts to enhance connectivity and cooperation in areas like trade, energy and environment.
The annual talk-fest of rich and powerful from across the world in snow-laden Alpine resort town of Davos will be attended by nearly 40 heads of government among more than 2,500 global leaders from over 100 countries.
If Myanmar's election demonstrates reasonable transparency and fair process, it would go down in history as the first free and fair one in the country in more than two decades, says Dr Rahul Mishra.
Those scheduled to attend the five-day WEF Annual meeting, beginning January 21, include more than 40 heads of state or government, including those from the UK, Australia, Japan, Iran, Israel, Pakistan, Brazil, Italy, Mauritius, Republic of Korea and Switzerland, WEF announced on Wednesday at a press conference in Geneva.
Imagine being a part of a country, but being discriminated against by the majority community and atrocities being committed against you by the state. This is the deplorable conditions that the Rohingyas of Myanmar live in where they are cut off from their livelihoods and sources of income, unable to access markets, hospitals and schools, and have little or no access to relief aid. In order to understand the situation and the genesis of the tragedy unfolding, Rediff.com's Archana Masih speaks to Ambassador Vijay Nambiar, the United Nations' Chef de Cabinet (Chief of Staff), who had served a long stint with the UN in New York on the issue.