Myanmar’s Junta Leader Min Aung Hlaing Holds Talks With Modi in Delhi Amid Ongoing Civil War

Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Monday for talks covering trade, connectivity, border security and defence. The meeting marked Min Aung Hlaing's first visit abroad since his election as president in April.

He arrived in India on 30 May and first visited Bodh Gaya, where he offered prayers at the Mahabodhi Temple, before travelling to Delhi and later to Mumbai to meet business leaders.

Myanmar and India share a 1,643 km border. The two sides discussed preventing the misuse of Myanmar territory for activities against India's security interests, and Min Aung Hlaing reiterated that Myanmar would not allow its territory to be used against those interests. Modi raised issues related to democracy in Myanmar and discussed Aung San Suu Kyi, who is under strict house arrest.

India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said Delhi continued to support enduring peace and an inclusive process involving all stakeholders. A joint statement published by Myanmar's state-run Global New Light of Myanmar said Modi reaffirmed India's support for Myanmar's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Min Aung Hlaing was elected president in a parliament dominated by military loyalists after elections held between December 2025 and January 2026, in which the military-backed side secured an overwhelming victory.

Many opposition parties were barred from contesting and large conflicted areas could not participate. In February 2021, Min Aung Hlaing, then armed forces commander-in-chief, seized power by ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The civil war that followed has killed thousands of people and displaced millions, with thousands of refugees, many from the Chin ethnic minority, taking shelter in India's north-eastern states of Mizoram and Manipur.

Between the 2021 coup and his election as president, Min Aung Hlaing travelled to Russia and China. Modi's last official visit to Myanmar was in 2017. BBC News reported that analysts described the visit as a diplomatic gain for Myanmar's leadership, which has sought broader engagement after years of international criticism and isolation.

Former Indian ambassador Rajiv Bhatia said the visit gives the president validation from the world's largest democracy. Another former ambassador, Gautam Mukhopadhaya, said Min Aung Hlaing is trying to acquire greater regional and international respectability as an elected president.

He noted that India has three broad interests: stability along its north-eastern frontier, the success of its Act East policy, and managing China's growing influence.

Mukhopadhaya added that the Donald Trump administration has not shown much interest in Myanmar in its second term and has suspended much of its foreign assistance, including support to refugees and opposition groups. Bhatia said India wants a more stable and independent Myanmar to emerge from the conflict.