India and Myanmar signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Wednesday for the development of the violence-hit Rakhine state. India’s Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar signed the government-to-government agreement that focuses on the socio-economic development of the region.

The agreement gains significance in view of the Rohingya refugee crisis that is plaguing the state. For months now, the United Nations has been accusing Myanmar’s troops of committing atrocities against the Rohingya Muslim population in the region after a militant attack in August got security forces conducting a violent crackdown in the state.

Jaishankar also met state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi in Nay Pyi Taw to discuss commitments agreed upon during a bilateral meeting in September, Indian Ambassador to Myanmar Vikram Misri said.

Rohingyas have been denied citizenship in Myanmar and are classified as illegal immigrants. The community has been subjected to violence by the Buddhist majority and the Army in Myanmar, though the country has repeatedly denied this claim. The crisis has threatened to jeopardise Myanmar’s US-aided shift toward democracy after five decades of military rule.