Bangladesh is India’s most important neighbor’ and called for exploiting the full potential of bilateral cooperation, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the country next month.Mr. Doval further gave full credit to the Prime Minister Modi for the ratification of the Land Boundary Agreement while addressing the concluding session of the Sixth India Bangladesh Friendship Dialogue. Bangladesh has sought India’s help to establish its nascent civil nuclear industry, especially technical training in the field.
Bangladesh Cabinet gave its nod to a plan to set up a ‘Nuclear power company of Bangladesh’ to run the under-construction plant, which has a deadline of 2021 to start power generation. Mr. Doval was all praise for Bangladesh’s help on security issues, whether on terrorism or smuggling of fake currency. “In the last one year, the Bangladesh government has been extremely sensitive and responsive to us. They have gone much beyond to ensure that Indian interests are not harmed,” he said. India had longest border with Bangladesh and it was a matter of great satisfaction that the two countries had now a clearly demarcated land and maritime border.
Connectivity, communication and energy cooperation are very important dimensions of bilateral relations.
Ba Hla Aye Charge d’Affaires, a.i, Embassy of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar
I am delighted to learn that Globally Managed Services will be publishing Myanmar Matters newsletter as a tribute to the cordial relations between Myanmar and India and to promote greater understanding between the people and trade relations between the two countries. Myanmar-India relations have always been cordial. For the benefit of both countries and people, the leaders oftwo countries have been endeavoring to enhance the bilateral relations further building upon what we already have. I believe that Myanmar Matters will makecontributions in this regard. I commend Mr. Ranjit Barthakur, founder Globally Managed Services, for the warm sentiments he has for Myanmar and its people and for his vision in publishing Myanmar Matters. I wish him and Globally Managed Services every success.
Y.K. Sailas Thangal Charge d Affaires a.i Embassy of India, Yangon.
I would like to congratulate the entire team of Globally Managed Services (GMS) and its founder Shri Ranjit Barthakur for bringing out an in-depth informative newsletter titled “Myanmar Matters”, not only to celebrate the historic bonds that India and Myanmar share but also to further strengthen the bilateral relations and fraternity between the people of India and Myanmar.
India and Myanmar are linked not only by geography, but also by the shared historic, cultural, religious and economic ties. Today, as Myanmar stands at the threshold of political and economic transition to a democratic system and market economy, our relations are set to move to a higher plane, acquiring new depth and substance. This has also provided us an opportunity to work together as equal partners to revive the ancient links and rediscover the immense possibilities of cooperation that exist between our two Countries.
My best wishes to GMS for their endeavour which, I am sure, will be a medium for people to enrich themselves in realms of India-Myanmar relations.
KyawSwe Tint Consulate General of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Kolkata
It is my pleasure to learn that Globally Managed Services will continue to publish Myanmar Matters newsletter to promote greater understanding between the people and trade relations of the two countries. The first issue of the Myanmar Matters newsletter was informative and impressive. Therefore, I am confident that the forthcoming issue will be even better. I hope the newsletter can inspire Indian businessmen to understand Myanmar and the prospects of doing business in the country. I am pleased to encourage Mr. Ranjit Barthakur, founder of Globally Managed Services, to publish such newsletters regularly. I wish him all the best in his endeavours.
I appreciate Globally Managed Services for its great effort in publishing Myanmar Matters newsletter giving special attention to Myanmar among ASEAN member states. I am deeply impressed by Myanmar Matters newsletter covering wide range of infonnation on Myanmar. Myanmar Matters newsletter will surely contribute to a better understanding of politics, economy, and culture of Myanmar by Indian people and thereby promoting peopleto- people connectivity between the two countries. The newsletter not only provides information on historical and current cordial relationship between Myanmar and India but also conveys current business and investment opportunities in Myanmar encouraging Indian businessmen to do more businesses and investments in Myanmar. I congratulate Mr. Ranjit Barthakur, Founding Chairman of Globally Managed Services.
His Excellency, Gautam Mukhopadhaya, recently appointed Ambassador to Myanmar, graduated from Delhi University, joined the Foreign Service in 1980 and has served in various capacities in Indian Embassies in Mexico, France, Cuba, Afghanistan and Syria, the UN Mission in New York and the Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Defence in India. He has also worked in the UN Headquarters in New York as a Consultant on Social Development. He re-opened the Indian Embassy in Kabul in November 2001 after the ouster of the Taliban in Afghanistan. And most recently served as India’s Ambassador to Afghanistan from July 2010 to May 2013. As India’s representative to the Third Committee of the UN in New York (1996-1999), he dealt with issues relating to social development, human rights and advancement of women.
It is a great pleasure for me to address readers of Myanmar Matters. In the short period of its existence, Myanmar Matters has already established itself as one of the most readable and informative periodic bulletins on Myanmar of special interest to those interested in Myanmar and India, particularly business prospects, but also more generally. I heartily commend Globally Managed Services, and especially its founder, Mr. Ranjit Barthakur, for taking this initiative which can serve as a bridge between India and Myanmar as the latter moves to a new era of rapid political, economic and administrative reforms that have brought new hope to the country.
As a historical friend and neighbor and friend with whom it has had deep cultural, civilizational and political ties, not least during and after our struggle for independence, India stands ready to partner and extend a helping hand in all areas of Myanmar’s national life. Indeed, this has already begun in earnest. Though not a traditional donor country, it has already committed close of US$ 750 million in development assistance in both infrastructure projects to promote connectivity and increase trade and economic relations between our two countries and the ASEAN, but also human resource and capacity building projects in English language, entrepreneurship, Information Technology, industrial and management training to prepare Myanmar for a modern economy.
The presentation of Ambassador Gautam Mukhopadhaya credentials to H.E. the President of Myanmar, U Thein Sein on June 21, 2013.
In addition, the Government of India has also extended soft loans of an approximately equal amount to the Government of Myanmar in areas of priority to it such as power, railways, irrigation, industrial development, tele-communication and other areas, making its total outlay for Myanmar close to US $ 1.5 billion. It ranks fourth in Myanmar’s external trade with a total trade turnover of US $ 1.9 billion and targeted to reach US $ 3 billion by 2015, and 10th in terms of foreign investments which presently stand at about US$ 280 million.
Nevertheless, given the size of India’s economy, its relative dynamism in spite of a recent slowdown in its rate of growth, its geographical proximity, its scientific, technological and entrepreneurial achievements and its political reliability, our economic relations are nowhere near their potential. The challenge before us as Myanmar opens up, is to build upon our historical, cultural and civilizational ties and political comfort, to enhance our connectivity by land, sea and air, expand trade, seriously step up investments, increase people-topeople and cultural contacts, and bring our economies much closer together.
Besides trade and investment and cultural relations, India can also contribute greatly to Myanmar’s political challenges. India’s experience of democracy and nation-building, its religious, linguistic, ethnic and cultural diversity, its handling of regional, linguistic, religious and tribal aspirations within a democratic polity, and its experience of market-oriented economic reforms in the context of poverty and social and economic disparities amongst other areas, can also offer valuable lessons for Myanmar’s political and economic transformation. In all these, Myanmar can also count on its sizable population of Indian-origin who have contributed to Myanmar’s economy and education in the past, and can do so even more now free from the legacy of colonialism. May I therefore take this opportunity, to reiterate that India is prepared to contribute to Myanmar’s future in any way that it can, in the areas of peace, development, investment, democracy and nation-building in general. I am confident that Myanmar Matters can play a catalytic role in this process.
