Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Rabi Lamichhane, chairman of Nepal's Rastriya Swatantra Party, on Wednesday, expressing delight at the meeting and welcoming his desire to work closely together for a shared and prosperous future. According to Business Standard, Modi emphasized that Nepal is India's priority partner and New Delhi looks forward to collaborating with the new government to elevate the special and multifaceted relationship between the two countries to greater heights. The RSP delegation, led by Lamichhane, arrived in New Delhi on Monday afternoon following an invitation from BJP chief Nitin Nabin. This meeting comes as part of India's continued diplomatic outreach to its neighbouring countries under the Neighbourhood First policy.
Both sides agreed to increase bilateral trade from the current $2 billion, including through the Rupee-Kyat settlement mechanism, and appreciated the steady growth in the volume of transactions recorded since its operationalisation in May 2024. As reported by the official press release, both sides expressed support for closer trade and investment cooperation in the areas of mutual interest such as agro-processing, petroleum, energy, and mining sectors, in accordance with their respective national laws and regulations. The Prime Minister reaffirmed India's support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, while both sides underscored the importance of preventing the misuse of sovereign territory for activities inimical to their security interests. Myanmar is one of India's strategic neighbours and shares a 1,643-km-long border with several northeastern states including militancy-hit Nagaland and Manipur.
The Prime Minister affirmed that India, as a steadfast and trusted partner of Myanmar, remained committed to deepening security cooperation between the two countries. The President reiterated Myanmar's assurance that its territory would not be permitted to be used against India's security interests. Both sides noted ongoing discussions on various bilateral Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding and looked forward to their early conclusion. The discussions underscored the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation, including defence and security, border management, development assistance and cultural exchanges. Aung Hlaing was earlier scheduled to visit New Delhi to participate in the International Big Cat Alliance Summit on June 1, which has been deferred.
The Prime Minister underlined that enhanced connectivity would foster mutually beneficial economic linkages and shared prosperity in the region. In this regard, both sides shared the importance of working closely towards the completion of Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport project and the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway. These infrastructure initiatives are designed to strengthen regional connectivity and facilitate trade between India, Myanmar, and Thailand. The discussions highlighted the strategic importance of these connectivity projects in enhancing economic cooperation and regional integration.
The President delivered a keynote speech at the India-Myanmar Business Conclave, jointly organised by the UMFCCI and CII, in New Delhi on 31 May 2026, where business heads from both sides discussed avenues for further strengthening and expanding bilateral trade and commercial opportunities. Aung Hlaing also toured the NTPC Energy Technology Research Alliance (NETRA) complex in Greater Noida to observe advanced R&D work, including in clean energy innovation, energy efficiency, renewable energy integration and grid resilience. The Myanmarese president will also travel to Mumbai on June 2 for business and industry interactions and site visits. During his address to business leaders in India, Min Aung Hlaing invited Indian businesses to invest in his country, including the Yadanabon Cyber City project in the Mandalay region. The Prime Minister conveyed that the Mekong Ganga ICCR scholarships for Myanmar students would be enhanced from 36 to 100 from 2026 onwards.
