Border, peace, democracy: Myanmar president's India visit is closely watched
Key takeaways
- Consequences of the conflict also spilled across the border into India, with thousands of people, many from Myanmar's Chin ethnic minority, taking refuge in India's north-eastern states of Mizoram and Manipur.
- Myanmar held elections between December 2025 and January 2026.
- The authorities presented the vote as a step towards a return to civilian government, but opposition groups, Western governments and international observers criticised the election.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Abhishek Dey Getty Images PM Modi met Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing in Delhi on Monday Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing, who is in India on a five-day visit, has held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, focusing on areas including trade, connectivity, border security and defence.
This is his first visit abroad since becoming president earlier this year, and it is being closely watched as a sign of how regional powers intend to engage with Myanmar's military-backed leadership following a widely criticised election and five years of civil war triggered by a coup in 2021.
Myanmar and India share a 1,643km (1,021-mile) border and developments on one side often have consequences for the other, particularly in India's north-eastern region where security, migration and cross-border trade is closely intertwined with events in the neighbouring country.