Abstract

• Myanmar and India tried to cultivate friendly relations between them since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1948. With their common policy of peaceful co-existence and mutual cooperation, Myanmar and India tried to improve their relations from 2011 to 2015 by changing and adjusting their foreign policies. The aim of this research is to examine the bilateral relations between Myanmar and India from 2011 to 2015 focusing on political sector. Although the bilateral political relations became strained in late 1988 due to India's clear stand on the democracy movement in Myanmar, China’s growing influence in Myanmar and its Look East Policy pushed India to change its approach from that of confrontation to engagement with it. Myanmar's changing relationship with China offered India an opportunity to engage more constructively with Myanmar. Between 2011 and 2015, Myanmar and India saw a strengthening and broadening of their political ties, driven by a growing number of high-level state visits. The political relations between Myanmar and India were widely seen as landmark under the USDP government.