NEW DELHI, 3rd April, 2025 (WAM) – India’s Minister for External Affairs, S Jaishankar has pledged to “live up to its obligation as a first responder” to natural disasters in its neighbourhood.
He expressed his solidarity and support for Myanmar and Thailand “in the face of a massive earthquake in both countries last week.”
India has sent six army aircraft and five naval ships to Myanmar, which have so far delivered 625 metric tonnes of Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) material.
Simultaneously, India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi,expressed his “deepest condolences for the loss of life in the earthquake that occurred on March 28.”
Standing side-by-side with the Prime Minister of Thailand, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, on the eve of the sixth Summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), Modi wished for the “speedy recovery of those who were injured in the disaster.”
The earthquake-hit nations of Myanmar and Thailand, along with India and four other countries surrounding the Bay of Bengal are BIMSTEC members.
India hosts the BIMSTEC Centre for Weather and Climate (BCWC) to promote scientific capacity-building in weather and climate research.