Biden and Modi condemn North Korea missile launches, Myanmar situation

Antony Blinken, US secretary of state (right) speaks beside Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, during a luncheon at the State Department in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, June 23, 2023. President Biden and Modi announced a series of defense and commercial deals designed to improve military and economic ties between their nations during Thursday's state visit at the White House. - Bloomberg

WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters/AFP): US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced condemned the situation in Myanmar and the recent missile launches by North Korea in a joint statement released by the White House after their meeting.

They called for "the transition of Myanmar toward an inclusive federal democratic system," according to the joint statement.

Meanwhile, Modi and Biden were in agreement and gave warning to Pakistan to crack down on extremists that target New Delhi.

In a joint statement issued as Modi paid a state visit to Washington, the two leaders called for action against extremist groups based in Pakistan such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad.

"They strongly condemned cross-border terrorism, the use of terrorist proxies and called on Pakistan to take immediate action to ensure that no territory under its control is used for launching terrorist attacks," the statement said.

They called on Pakistan to punish perpetrators of attacks including the bloody 2008 siege of Mumbai.

India under Modi has taken an increasingly hard line on Pakistan, announcing an airstrike in 2019 in response to an attack.

The United States historically has been a close partner of Pakistan but its patience wore thin over ties between Afghanistan's Taliban and Islamabad's powerful military and intelligence apparatus.

The Biden administration has kept Pakistan at arm's length since the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, in contrast to warming relations with India.

India and the United States also voiced "deep concern about the deteriorating situation in Myanmar," where the military ousted a fledgling civilian government in 2021.

The two countries called for "the release of all those arbitrarily detained, the establishment of constructive dialogue and the transition of Myanmar toward an inclusive federal democratic system."

The United States has imposed a slew of sanctions on Myanmar's junta but New Delhi has maintained a comparatively cordial relationship, mindful that the country borders unstable parts of northeastern India.

The statement released by the White House referred to the country as Myanmar and not the former name of Burma, which the United States uses. - Reuters/AFP