New Delhi. 20 September 2017. Admiral Tin Aung San, Commander-in-Chief, Myanmar Navy, is currently on a visit to India from 18 to 21 September 2017. The visit is intended to consolidate and enhance bilateral defence relations between India and Myanmar. The Admiral visited various Naval establishments at Mumbai and Kochi as part of his itinerary prior arriving New Delhi where he is scheduled to call on the Chief of Naval Staff, Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Air Staff. The Admiral will also hold discussions with various dignitaries from the Ministry of Defence at New Delhi.
Naval cooperation between India and Myanmar has been traditionally strong, encompassing a wide span which includes operational interactions through Coordinated Parols, Training, Port Calls, Passage Exercises along with Capacity Building and Capability Augmentation initiatives. During the recent visit of the Hon’ble Prime Minister to Myanmar in early September 17, three MoUs with respect to maritime cooperation were signed between both countries. The visit of the Admiral also closely follows the recent visit of the Commander in Chief, Myanmar Defence Forces in August 2017 and is reflective of the growing level of cooperation between both Navies.
India has agreed “in principle” to Myanmar’s request for assistance in building offshore patrol vessels OPVs, which are likely to be constructed at an Indian shipyard, as well as almost doubling the number of vacancies for training Myanmar Navy officers and sailors. Similar will be the case for soldiers and air force personnel, with plans also afoot to train Myanmar pilots to fly the Russian-origin Mi-35 attack helicopters, as part of the overall “capacity building and enhancement” plan.
India has supplied some military hardware and software to Myanmar, which ranges from four Islander maritime patrol aircraft and naval gun boats to 105mm light artillery guns, mortars, grenade-launchers and rifles. But Myanmar has asked for much more, including radars, sensors and sonars for its naval frigates and corvettes.
It may be recalled that Indian Navy will set up meteorological facilities and impart training for the Myanmar Navy. This fits into India’s overall effort to boost strategic cooperation under the ‘Act East’ policy and will help offset increasing Chinese presence in its neighbourhood.
