India has extended an invitation to political and military opponents of Myanmar’s ruling junta to participate in a mid-November seminar in New Delhi, as per reports by Reuters.
Despite maintaining relations with Myanmar’s top generals, who have been ostracized by Western countries, India’s move comes amid the ongoing civil war in Myanmar.
Since the military’s February 2021 coup that ousted the elected civilian government, the conflict has raised concerns over the stability of India’s shared border and its critical infrastructure projects in the region.
A leader of an ethnic group and two sources with direct knowledge of the situation revealed that Myanmar’s parallel National Unity Government (NUG) and ethnic minority rebels from the Chin, Rakhine, and Kachin states, have been invited to attend the seminar.
The seminar would focus on the theme of “Constitutionalism and Federalism” and is expected to be hosted by the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), a government-funded body whose council includes India’s Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, according to anonymous sources.
It remains unclear whether Myanmar’s military government will also receive an invitation to the event.
Sui Khar, vice chairman of one the ethnic rebel groups, the Chin National Front confirmed that they will be sending representatives.
He added: “This will be the first time, I think, formally, that India will engage with the non-state actors. This is a good, positive approach.”
Other ethnic groups invited to the seminar include the Arakan Army, which controls large areas of Rakhine state near the Bangladesh border, and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).
A spokesperson for the president of the shadow National Unity Government (NUG) declined Reuters to comment on the event, while the Arakan Army and KIA have not yet responded to requests for comment.
India has maintained relations with the military leadership, with government and defense officials regularly visiting the capital, Naypyitaw. India has been hesitant to openly criticize the junta, fearing it could drive the generals closer to China, a regional rival.
So far, New Delhi has had no formal interaction with the junta’s opponents. It remains unclear what the seminar aims to achieve or what prompted India to take this step.
In June, Jaishankar expressed concerns about border instability and the security threats to India’s projects in Myanmar, mentioning to his Myanmar counterpart, Than Swe, that India is “open to engaging all stakeholders to address this situation.”
India is currently involved in the $400 million Kaladan port and highway project in western Myanmar and has allocated around $250 million for another road project aimed at connecting its landlocked northeastern states to Thailand through Myanmar.
This seminar initiative comes as part of a peace effort by the Asean grouping of Southeast Asian nations, which has made little progress since its announcement in April 2021.
Some Asean countries have expressed frustration over the junta’s refusal to engage in talks.
The upcoming meeting in November is viewed as New Delhi’s most serious attempt to engage with Myanmar’s “pro-democracy side” since the coup in 2021, according to Angshuman Choudhury, a researcher based in Singapore with an expertise on India-Myanmar affairs.
He noted that it remains to be seen whether this effort aims to achieve specific foreign policy goals or simply serves as a signal to the Myanmar military to de-escalate its actions. “India remains concerned about the security and stability of its borders,” he added.
