India calls for return of inclusive federal democracy in Myanmar

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India wants peace and stability to return to Myanmar. Rakhine state and many other regions have reported severe fighting between armed ethnic groups and the Myanmarese military since October last year.

New Delhi: Describing the prevailing situation in Myanmar's Rakhine state as 'very delicate', India on Friday called for a return of 'inclusive federal democracy' to that country through dialogue and constructive engagement among the key stakeholders.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India wants peace and stability to return to Myanmar.

'We had issued an advisory for the Rakhine state where the situation is very delicate. The security situation has deteriorated. We told all Indian nationals to evacuate and move away from there,' he said.

Jaiswal said India has already urged all its nationals not to travel to the Rakhine state in view of the prevailing security situation there.

'The situation in Myanmar remains a cause of concern because of the deterioration in the security situation. There is a lot of fighting happening there, and the security situation is not conducive,' he said.

'We call upon all sides (to restore peace)... We want peace and stability in the country; we want constructive dialogue in the country, and we want inclusive federal democracy to be established through dialogue and through constructive engagement,' Jaiswal said.

Myanmar has been witnessing widespread violent protests demanding restoration of democracy since the military seized power in the coup on February 1, 2021.

Rakhine state and many other regions have reported severe fighting between armed ethnic groups and the Myanmarese military since October last year.

The hostilities between the two sides saw a rapid spike since November in several key Myanmarese towns and regions near the border with India as well as fuelling concerns in New Delhi over the possible ramifications for the security of Manipur and Mizoram.

Myanmar is one of India's strategic neighbours and it shares a 1,640 km-long border with a number of northeastern states including militancy-hit Nagaland and Manipur.