India gives 3,000 vials of Remdesivir to 'friendly' Myanmar to help fight Covid-19
- IBEF
- October 6, 2020
As part of India 's contribution to supporting" pleasant neighbour "Myanmar, Army Chief Gen. Mr M Naravane and Foreign Secretary Mr Harsh Vardhan Shringla handed over 3,000 Remdesivir vials to State Counsellor Ms Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday in their fight against Covid-19.
On a two-day visit from Sunday to Myanmar, Mr Naravane and Mr Shringla are here to further broaden relations in a range of fields, including communication, defence and defence.
On Monday, the Indian Army Chief and the Foreign Minister, along with India's Ambassador to Myanmar, Mr Saurabh Kumar, called on Ms Suu Kyi in Naypyitaw to discuss important bilateral issues, the Indian Embassy tweeted. General Mr Naravane and Mr Shringla handed over 3,000 vials of Remdesivir to Ms Suu Kyi as part of India 's contribution to help a friendly Myanmar neighbour fight against COVID-19, it said in another tweet.
To treat COVID-19, an intravenous antiviral medication, Remdesivir, is used. Remdesivir is also being administered by US President Mr Donald Trump, who tested positive for COVID-19 last week. The visit to Myanmar by Gen. Mr Naravane and Mr Shringla takes on significance as it comes amid the bitter border standoff between the Indian Army and the Chinese military in eastern Ladakh, as well as restrictions on international visits due to the coronavirus pandemic.
This is Gen. Mr Naravane's first visit to any foreign country after his inauguration as Chief of Staff of the Army on December 31 of last year. Myanmar is one of the strategic neighbours of India and shares a 1,640-km-long frontier with several north-eastern states, including Nagaland and Manipur, which have been hit by militancy.
The visit of Gen. Mr Naravane and Mr Shringla came four days after a thorough analysis of their relations in a wide range of areas was carried out by the two countries at a virtual meeting held in the form of consultations between India and Myanmar with foreign offices. In the meeting, Mr Shringla claimed that India and Myanmar are working towards the operationalization of the Sittwe Port by the first quarter of next year and that 69 bridges proposed under the ambitious trilateral India-Myanmar-Thailand highway will be tendered for the tender process.
Sittwe Port is part of the multi-modal transit transport project in Kaladan, which is seen as the gateway to Southeast Asia from India. The port will connect the landlocked north-eastern region of India via Mizoram with the Bay of Bengal. Shringla also said in his remarks that the handing over of 22 Indian insurgents by Myanmar has been profoundly appreciated by India and sends a clear message of "deterrence on both sides to enemy elements."
India has been worried about some of the North-East region's insurgent groups taking refuge in Myanmar. The country assured India that it would not allow the use of its territories by any insurgent group against India. The Indian Army carried out an operation against NSCN (K) insurgents in areas near Indo-Myanmar in June 2015, days after the ultras had killed 18 Army men in Manipur.
In the last few years, both countries have greatly increased defence and security cooperation, particularly in maritime defence. India has supported Myanmar in developing border areas under a 2012 agreement that called for USD 5 million to be awarded annually over a five-year term. This MoU has been extended until the year 2022.
In Myanmar, India's development cooperation is valued at USD 1.4 billion. The collaboration in the field of energy cooperation is also being extended by the two countries. Myanmar has the highest Indian investment in any South Asian region, a source said, with investments of over USD 1.2 billion. India recently approved an investment in the Shwe Oil and Gas project of over USD 120 million.
Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.
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