NEW DELHI, Oct 1 - India on Thursday urged Myanmar to sign the Extradition Treaty and Transfer of Sentenced Persons, through which the neighbouring country will be legally bound to hand over insurgent leaders of the North East, including Paresh Barua of ULFA (I), who are reportedly in that country.
India also said it is working towards operationalising the Sittwe Port by the first quarter of next year.
Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Thursday co-chaired the 19th India-Myanmar Foreign Office Consultations virtually. Myanmar was represented by Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, U Soe Han and other officials.
�Myanmar is a country of special importance to us as it stands at the confluence of our �Neighbourhood First� and �Act East� policies. Myanmar�s handing over of 22 Indian insurgents has been deeply appreciated by the Government of India and that sends a strong message of deterrence to inimical elements on both sides. In view of our special partnership, we would request for an early conclusion of the Extradition Treaty, Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty on Civil and Commercial matters and Agreement on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons,� said the Foreign Secretary.
The signing of the Extradition Treaty and Transfer of Sentenced Persons will be significant because of the presence of insurgent groups of the North East and their leaders, including Paresh Barua, in the neighbouring country. Further, India has reports of several insurgent leaders being held in Myanmar�s prisons. After signing of the treaty, the neighbouring country will be legally bound to hand them over to India.
�We have maintained a peaceful and tranquil border. We attach the highest priority to the settlement of the remaining boundary issues and have proposed holding the next meeting of the Joint Boundary Working Group at the earliest,� Shringla said.
�India�s assistance to Myanmar is around $1.4 billion. Despite the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we are working towards operationalising the Sittwe Port by the first quarter of next year. Regarding the 69 bridges on the Trilateral Highway, we will soon be moving forward with the tendering process,� the Foreign Secretary said. India also said it was committed to sharing its capabilities on the COVID-19 vaccine with its strategic partners, including Myanmar, in its collective best interest.
�There has been notable progress in several of our defence cooperation projects. A team for the deployment of meteorological squadrons will be reaching Myanmar this month. We are also looking forward to receiving your (Myanmar�s) representative at our Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean Region,� the Foreign Secretary said.
�Some agreements such as Project Agreement for the establishment of modern integrated check post at Tamu, MoU for construction of 50 basic schools and the Project Agreement for upgrade of agricultural mechanisation substation will be signed shortly between our two sides. I would like to convey our support for the construction of Bwaynu Bridge and this would be of benefit to the local community,� he said.
