This is the first visit of the Army Chief outside the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic and India-China tensions at the Line of Actual Control

New Delhi: India's Army Chief MM Naravane and Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla will visit Myanmar next week and will be in the country on Monday. The visit that comes even as China has been trying to increase influence in India's neighbourhood.

This is the first visit of Army Chief outside the country amid the COVID pandemic and India China tensions at the Line of Actual Control. Interesting to know, Army Chief MM Naravane has served as India's defence attaché to Myanmar in the past.

This will be the second visit of FS outside the country amid the COVID pandemic. He has already visited Bangladesh. Last week, he had virtual meet with his Myanmar counterpart - Permanent Secretary, U Soe Han. During the meet, he told him, New Delhi will operationalise the Sittwe port in the first quarter of next year.

FS said, "despite the challenges caused by the COVID pandemic, we are working towards operationalizing the Sittwe Port by the first quarter of next year".

COVID crisis and vaccine, Rohingya Repatriation were other key issues of the meet. On the security front, Myanmar recently handed over of 22 Indian insurgents which was "deeply appreciated by the Government of India and sends a strong message of deterrence to inimical elements on both sides", FS said at the meet.