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India rolls out welcome mat for Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing
Key Points
India rolls out welcome mat for Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing The military leader’s first presidential trip to New Delhi signals pragmatic engagement as India moves to counter rising Chinese influence _ Despite Western sanctions imposed after the February 2021 coup, India has maintained working relations with Myanmar’s generals due to the country’s strategic importance to Delhi’s own security.
India rolls out welcome mat for Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing
The military leader’s first presidential trip to New Delhi signals pragmatic engagement as India moves to counter rising Chinese influence
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Despite Western sanctions imposed after the February 2021 coup, India has maintained working relations with Myanmar’s generals due to the country’s strategic importance to Delhi’s own security.
Hunter Marston, director for Southeast Asia at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, said the invitation represented “a de facto recognition of the strongman’s political status”, noting that the two leaders met last April on the sidelines of the Bimstec summit in Bangkok.
“The only difference is that now Delhi has no pretence of engaging Min Aung Hlaing as the leader of Myanmar’s new government and doesn’t seem to care about the optics,” Marston said.