Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday left for Nay Pyi Taw on a three-day visit to Myanmar during which the two countries are expected to take a series of initiatives to bolster bilateral relations in several key areas, including energy, trade and connectivity sector.
In a pre-departure statement, Singh said that his visit "will provide an opportunity to review the progress in implementation of decisions" taken during the "highly successful visit" of Myanmar President Thein Sein to India in October last year.
"We will also consider new initiatives and define a roadmap for the further development of our cooperation in the years ahead," said Singh, who will be the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Myanmar in quarter of a century since Rajiv Gandhi's trip to that country in December 1987.
India will be looking to enhancing its presence in the resource-rich energy sector of Myanmar, especially oil and gas, and to improve the road connectivity with its strategic eastern neighbour.
The two countries are expected to sign an agreement for starting a bus service between Imphal and Mandalay, the second largest city of Myanmar, which is expected to give a major boost to India's neighbourhood diplomacy following similar bus links between New Delhi and Lahore and Kolkata and Dhaka.
The Prime Minister, who will hold talks with Sein tomorrow at Nay Pyi Taw, said that during his visit to Myanmar, he hopes to focus on "stronger trade and investment links, development of border areas, improving connectivity between our two countries and building capacity and human resources".
"We also hope to sign a number of agreements and MoUs to further strengthen our bilateral cooperation in these areas, besides promoting people-to-people contacts," Singh said.
Singh, who will also meet leader of the opposition and Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in Yangon on Tuesday, said India welcomes Myanmar's "transition to democratic governance and the steps taken by the government of Myanmar towards a more broad-based and inclusive reconciliation process" and offered to share "democratic experiences" with that country.
