Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Myanmar

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held dialogues with Myanmar President Thein Sein on 27 May 2012. Manmohan Singh’s visit to the Myanmar marked the beginning of a new era in the relationship between India and Myanmar.  The visit is also the first of any Indian Prime Minister in last 25 years since Rajiv Gandhi's trip in December 1987.

The trade volume between the two countries at present is about 1.4 billion dollar. Governments on both the sides of the border are expecting to take the current figure to 3 billion dollar in the next two years. India is Myanmar's third-largest export market after Thailand and China and is fourth largest trading partner of this country after China, Thailand and Singapore.

Myanmar holds great strategic significance for India given its geographical and trade proximity to China. The Prime Minister’s visit can be seen as India’s endeavor to build up a stronger rapport with Myanmar to tackle the Chinese hegemony in the region.