India, Myanmar agree to fight 'terrorism' jointly

NEW DELHI: In what could be described as a major initiative in the field of military diplomacy India on Thursday decided to assist mordernise Myanmar's Army and Navy to expand military to military cooperation nearly a month after a joint operations targeted insurgents along 1640-km-long land boundary.

The decision to expand military cooperation and effective border management was taken at the maiden Joint Consultative Commission Meeting co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Myanmarese counterpart Wunna Maung Lwin here on Thursday.

Delhi is ready to assist creating a modern national army for Myanmar besides assistance in building the country's Navy.

"India is committed to support the modernization of Myanmar Armed Forces and would be happy to share its experience in functioning in a democratic environment, in creating a national army, cooperation in the field of IT, in dealing with emerging security challenges, and military to military cooperation including in terms of training.

She also expressed India's commitment to cooperate with Myanmar in building a professional and capable Myanmar Navy to safeguard and ensure its maritime security," according to a joint statement issued at the end of the meeting.