Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday reaffirmed India’s support for peace, stability and national reconciliation in Myanmar, saying New Delhi is ready to remain a strong and dependable partner in the country’s journey towards strengthening its democratic institutions.
LS Speaker Birla made the remarks while welcoming a parliamentary delegation from Myanmar led by Dr Pwint San, Chairperson of the International Relations Committee of the Parliament of Myanmar. The delegation is visiting India to participate in a capacity-building programme organised by the Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE).
Highlighting the deep-rooted ties between India and Myanmar, LS Speaker Birla said the two countries share ancient civilisational links and a common Buddhist heritage. He noted that Myanmar holds an important place in India’s three key foreign policy frameworks – Act East, Neighbourhood First and the Indo-Pacific.
The Lok Sabha Speaker said bilateral relations are broad-based and strategic, covering areas including politics, security, defence, trade, investment, connectivity, development and humanitarian assistance.
He emphasised that India has consistently stood by Myanmar in times of need and has been among the first countries to extend assistance whenever required.
LS Speaker Birla also highlighted the role of regular high-level engagements between the leadership of the two countries in strengthening bilateral relations. He reiterated India’s willingness to share its experience in parliamentary functioning, rules and procedures and democratic traditions as Myanmar works towards building strong and inclusive democratic institutions.
Highlighting India’s democratic journey, LS Speaker Birla said Parliament has remained at the heart of the country’s democracy since the Constitution came into force in 1950 and the first Lok Sabha was constituted in 1952.
He also outlined India’s experience in modernising its electoral process, including the introduction of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) from the 2004 Lok Sabha elections and the subsequent adoption of the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system to enhance transparency and voter verification.
Referring to Myanmar’s recent electoral developments, LS Speaker Birla noted that the country conducted general elections for the National Parliament and State and Regional Legislatures in three phases between December 2025 and January 2026.
He said the elections were significant as they witnessed, for the first time, the use of proportional representation and electronic voting machines. He described the changes as an important milestone in Myanmar’s electoral process and a step towards strengthening its democratic institutions.
LS Speaker Birla expressed hope that the Myanmar delegation’s capacity-building programme in India would enhance its understanding of parliamentary practices and democratic institutions.
He said the visit would provide an opportunity for meaningful exchanges and help further deepen parliamentary cooperation between India and Myanmar.
