External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Wednesday (March 4, 2026) said India supports Myanmar-led and its own peace process, which can ensure lasting peace and development for all in the South-East Asian country.
The Foreign Minister also highlighted the importance of our relations with Myanmar. He said that this South-East Asian country is located at the confluence of three major foreign policy priorities of India, which include Neighbor First, Act East and ‘Ocean Policy’. Myanmar is one of India’s strategic neighbors and shares a nearly 1,640-km border with several northeastern states, including militancy-hit Nagaland and Manipur.
Widespread violent demonstrations have been taking place in the country since the army seized power in a coup on February 1, 2021. The military-backed party won Myanmar’s recent general elections. Dr. S. Jaishankar was addressing the inauguration ceremony of the Sarsobekman Literary Center building located in the center of Yangon through virtual medium. This building has been constructed with the help of India.
He said, ‘As the world’s largest democracy, where 14 lakh people live together in peace and harmony, India has regularly shared its experiences related to federalism and constitutional order with the stakeholders of Myanmar.’
“We support an inclusive, Myanmar-led and its own peace process that can ensure lasting peace and development for all in the country,” he said. Jaishankar said the Sarsobekman Center will support the preservation and study of Myanmar’s classical and folk literature as well as translation, archival work, creative writing and scholarly interaction.
He said, ‘Myanmar is located at the confluence of our three key foreign policy priorities – Neighborhood First, Act East and Ocean (which includes the Indo-Pacific region).’ The Foreign Minister said, ‘Our multidimensional partnership includes political, trade, security and cultural cooperation. Talking about development cooperation, our partnership with Myanmar has been people-centric and demand-based, aimed at strengthening local economies and improving living standards.
Jaishankar said that India and Myanmar have been linked for centuries by spirituality, kinship and geography as well as language and literature. He said, ‘As Buddhism and the Pali language and literature spread across South Asia, they brought with them ideas, texts and a shared intellectual heritage.’
