MoS Kirti Vardhan Singh to visit Myanmar for President's inauguration

MoS Kirti Vardhan Singh will visit Myanmar from April 8-11 for the new President's inauguration. He will hold meetings on trade and economic cooperation and interact with the Indian diaspora, underscoring India's commitment to bilateral ties.

Union Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh will embark on a four-day visit to Myanmar from April 8 to April 11, to attend the inauguration ceremony of the new President on April 10 in Nay Pyi Taw.

Visit Agenda and Official Stance

According to a release by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday, Singh is scheduled to hold meetings with key officials of the Myanmar government to discuss ongoing trade, economic, and developmental cooperation initiatives.

The MoS will also engage with members of the Indian diaspora and Friends of India in Yangon, highlighting India's continued commitment to strengthening bilateral relations.

"At the invitation of the Government of Myanmar (GoM), the Minister of State for External Affairs and Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh, will visit Myanmar from 08-11 April 2026, to attend the inauguration ceremony of the new President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar on 10 April 2026 in Nay Pyi Taw," the release stated.

"During his visit, Shri Singh is also expected to meet with concerned GoM dignitaries in Nay Pyi Taw, attend bilateral engagements related to ongoing trade, economic and developmental assistance initiatives, and interact with members of the Indian diaspora and Friends of India in Yangon," it added.

The MEA emphasised that the visit underscores India's support for Myanmar's democratic institutions and its efforts to expand people-to-people and economic ties between the two countries.

Background on New President Min Aung Hlaing

This comes after U Min Aung Hlaing, the leader of Myanmar's junta, was elected as the president of the country on Friday by the country's largely ceremonial Parliament, marking the culmination of his long-standing effort to be recognised as the nation's official head of state, as reported by The New York Times.

According to the NYT, after decades serving in the military, he is expected to present himself as a civilian leader. Last week, the 69-year-old Min Aung Hlaing resigned as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, a position in which he was responsible for the deaths of thousands of civilians, orchestrated the coup that ousted democratically elected officials, and oversaw actions widely condemned as the genocide of the Rohingya Muslim population, as reported by NYT. (ANI)

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