NEW DELHI: In the first Myanmar visit by an Indian minister since a democratically elected government was instated there in March, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will next week travel to Naypyidaw and meet Aung San Suu Kyi.
The Ministry of External Affairs, while announcing the visit, said on Thursday that the minister was expected to meet Myanmar’s State Counsellor and Foreign Minister Suu Kyi and President U Htin Kyaw on August 22. “Discussions are expected to focus on the rich bilateral content of the relationship as well as plans for the upcoming BRICS-BIMSTEC (The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Outreach Summit in India, building on the comprehensive discussions during Foreign Office Consultations held New Delhi on August 9, 2016,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.
The statement said that India and Myanmar shared close relations “with a robust development cooperation programme in areas such as agriculture, IT, human resource development, infrastructure development, culture, etc”. During the visit, Sushma will be accompanied by Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and other senior officials of the Ministry of External Affairs.
Last month, in a meeting with the Minister of State for External Affairs on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, Suu Kyi said that she looked forward to visiting India.
However, Suu Kyi, who had attended Convent of Jesus and Mary Schooland Lady Shri Ram College in New Delhi, chose to visit China in her first foreign visit since her party came to power.
Help just a click away
New Delhi: The Sushma Swaraj–led Ministry of External Affairs has launched a Facebook app making all its missions just one click away for everyone across the globe.