PM meets his Myanmar counterpart in S'pore

New Delhi, Nov 19: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be meeting his Myanmarese counterpart Thein Sein on the sidelines of the 6th India-ASEAN Summit and the 3rd East Asia Summit in Singapore. The meeting will be a crucial one as it is the first high-level interaction between the two countries after Buddhists monks in Yangoon led a huge pro-democracy movement, followed by the brutal repression of the protests by the military junta, leading to a worldwide condemnation.

Singh's meeting with Sein will be closely watched by international diplomats and media, following New Delhi's reluctance to denounce the military regime there.

During a recent bilateral meeting between Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his Myanmarese counterpart U Nyan Win in New York, India had expressed concern at the current situation there, noting that as a close and friendly neighbour, India hoped to see peace, prosperity and stability in Myanmar.

India had also expressed hope that the process of national reconciliation and political reform, initiated by the military junta, would be taken forward expeditiously.

Singh, who is scheduled to leave for Singapore on Monday to attend the ASEAN Summit and the East Asia Summit, will also be meeting Chinese premier Wen Jiabao, Prime Minister of Japan Yasuo Fukuda and Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Bin Ahmad Badawi.

ANI

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