India hosted an 18-member delegation this week representing Myanmar's military junta and its allied political forces for talks on democracy and federalism. The discussions are part of efforts to address the security challenges facing the neighbouring country. The delegation, led by two lieutenant generals, included representatives from political parties and ethnic revolutionary organisations (EROs) that support the junta, according to sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The Myanmarese delegation consisted of approximately 10 representatives from political parties and six members of ethnic revolutionary organisations (EROs) that had signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement in 2015.

The visit occurred amid a series of significant defeats for Myanmar’s junta, the latest being the capture of several military headquarters and outposts in Rakhine state by the Arakan Army. It also coincided with the visit of junta leader Min Aung Hlaing to China, where he attended two regional summits in Kunming.

According to the sources, anti-junta resistance forces were not included in a workshop held in New Delhi on November 5-6 by the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), a think tank associated with the Ministry of External Affairs that specializses in foreign policy matters. Unlike most ICWA events, this workshop was closed to the public and the media.

“The delegation’s visit was an opportunity to reiterate India’s message about the need to end the fighting and to return to dialogue and diplomacy to find a way out. It was also an opportunity to discuss the way forward in Myanmar,” one of the people cited above said.