In a welcome move, 60 couples each from the Indian Army and the Myanmar Army visited the neighbouring countries recently to boost the centuries-old ties between the two nations.

Defence spokesman, Col. Chiranjeet Konwar, said on Wednesday that 60 couples from the Indian Army visited Myanmar, while 60 couples from the Myanmar Army visited Bodhgaya from December 23-25.

"The team from the Indian Army team comprised officers, junior commissioned officers (JCOs) and other ranks who are all part of the Eastern Command that mans the Indo-Myanmar border."

India shares a 1,643 km-long border in four northeastern states namely, Arunachal Pradesh (520 km), Nagaland (215 km), Manipur (398 km) and Mizoram (510 km) with Myanmar's Sagaing Region and Chin State.

"India and Myanmar share a long history of cordial relationship based on friendship and trust. As a natural corollary to the long standing friendship, both the armed forces - the Indian Army and the Myanmar Army - also share a close relationship in terms of joint training and operations," said the defence spokesman.

"Such visits between the armed forces personnel and their families add a new dimension to the already robust mechanism of defence cooperation and pave the way for a long lasting and fruitful partnership between the two countries," he added.

The India-Myanmar border has the Free Movement Regime (FMR) which allows the tribes living along the border to travel 16 km across the boundary without visa restrictions.

--IANS

Ah/sed

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