Indian foreign minister defends ties with Myanmar junta

BANGKOK: India’s foreign minister on Thursday defended his country’s ties with the Myanmar junta, despite growing international concerns about recent executions and the legitimacy of elections planned for next year.

Myanmar’s decade-long experiment with democracy was halted last year and the country has since spiralled into bloody conflict after the military ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government in a coup.

It has become a global pariah, with some western countries downgrading relations and levelling economic sanctions against the junta. But India, China and Russia have continued to engage with the regime, including conducting ministerial visits.

Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said New Delhi’s position on Myanmar has been consistent over decades and goes back to the country’s struggle for freedom against colonialism.