File photo of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. | Photo credit: PTI
India supports a “Myanmar-led and Myanmar-owned” peace process that can bring lasting peace and development for all in the Southeast Asian country, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday (March 4, 2026).
A military-backed party won Myanmar’s general election in January.
Mr. Jaishankar was speaking virtually at the inauguration of the Sarsobeikman Literary Center building in the heart of Yangon. The building was built with the help of New Delhi.
Emphasizing the importance India attaches to its ties with Myanmar, the minister said the country lies at the confluence of New Delhi’s three key foreign policy priorities: “Neighbourhood First”, “Act East” and MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions).
Myanmar is one of India’s strategic neighbors and shares a 1,640-kilometer border with a number of northeastern states, including riot-torn Manipur. The country witnessed widespread violent protests after the military seized power in a coup on February 1, 2021.
“As the world’s largest democracy with 1.4 billion people living together in peace and harmony, India regularly shares its experience in federalism and constitutionalism with stakeholders in Myanmar,” Jaishankar said. “We support an inclusive Myanmar-led and Myanmar-owned peace process that can bring lasting peace and development for all in Myanmar,” he added.
He said the Sarsobeikman Center will promote the preservation and study of Myanmar’s classical and folk literature, as well as translation, archival work, creative writing and scholarly exchanges.
“Our multifaceted engagement includes political, trade, security and cultural cooperation. In terms of development cooperation, our engagement in Myanmar has been people-centred and demand-driven, with the aim of strengthening local economies and improving lives,” the minister said.
Mr. Jaishankar said India and Myanmar have been linked for centuries by spirituality, kinship and geography as well as language and literature.
“As Buddhism and the Pali language and literature traveled across South Asia, they carried with them ideas, texts and a shared intellectual heritage,” he said.
Published – March 4, 2026 10:11 PM IST
