India gives 3,000 vials of Remdesivir to 'friendly' Myanmar to help fight COVID-19
06 October, 2020
As part of India's contribution to help "friendly neighbour" Myanmar in its fight COVID-19, Army chief Gen. M M Naravane and Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Monday paid 3,000 vials of Remdesivir to State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.
Gen. Naravane and Shringla are on a two-day visit from Sunday to Myanmar with an try to further expand ties in a range of areas including connectivity, defence and security.
The Indian Army chief and the Foreign Secretary along with Ambassador of India to Myanmar, Saurabh Kumar, called on Suu Kyi at Naypyitaw on Monday where they discussed important bilateral issues, the Indian embassy tweeted.
"As part of India's contribution to greatly help an agreeable neighbour Myanmar fight COVID-19", General Naravane and Shringla paid 3,000 vials of Remdesivir to Suu Kyi, it said in another tweet.
The intravenous antiviral drug, Remdesivir, is utilized to take care of COVID-19. US President Donald Trump, who tested positive for COVID-19 the other day, can be being administered Remdesivir.
The visit by Gen. Naravane and Shringla to Myanmar assumes significance since it will come in the midst of the Indian Army's bitter border standoff with the Chinese military in eastern Ladakh as well restrictions on foreign visits due to the coronavirus pandemic.
It really is Gen. Naravane's first visit to any foreign country after he took charge as the principle of Army Staff on December 31 this past year.
Myanmar is one of India's strategic neighbours and shares a 1,640-km-long border with several northeastern states including militancy-hit Nagaland and Manipur.
The visit by Gen. Naravane and Shringla came four days following the two countries completed a detailed overview of their ties in a broad range of areas at a virtual meeting held beneath the framework of India-Myanmar foreign office consultations.
In the meeting, Shringla said India and Myanmar will work towards operationalising the Sittwe Port by the first quarter of next year and that the tendering process for 69 bridges proposed beneath the ambitious India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway will get started soon.
Sittwe Port is section of the Kaladan multi-modal transit transport project which has been viewed as India's gateway to Southeast Asia. The port will hook up India's landlocked northeastern region with the Bay of Bengal through Mizoram.
In his remarks, Shringla also said that Myanmar's handing over of 22 Indian insurgents has been deeply appreciated by India and sends a solid message of "deterrence to inimical components on both sides."
India has been concerned over some militant groups from the North-East region taking shelter in Myanmar. The united states has been assuring India that it could not allow any insurgent group to use its territory against India.
In June, 2015 the Indian Army had completed an procedure in areas close to the Indo-Myanmar against the NSCN (K) militants, days after the ultras had killed 18 Army men in Manipur.
The two countries have drastically ramped up defence and security cooperation in the last few years including in the maritime security sphere.
India has been assisting Myanmar in developing border areas under an agreement inked in 2012 that provided for granting USD 5 million every year over an interval of five years. This MoU has already been extended till 2022.
India's development cooperation in Myanmar is estimated at USD 1.4 billion.
Both countries are also expanding partnership in the region of energy cooperation.
With investments of over USD 1.2 billion, Myanmar has the highest Indian investment in virtually any country in South Asia, a source said.
Recently, India approved an investment of over USD 120 million in the Shwe Coal and oil project. PTI AKJ SCY 10051301 NNNN
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