Reinfeldt to meet with Burmese opposition
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt will meet with Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi when he visits the country next week, his office said on Thursday.
The trip next Monday and Tuesday marks the first visit to Burma by a Swedish head of government, Reinfeldt's spokesman, Markus Friberg, told AFP.
In Yangon, the prime minister will also meet with President Thein Sein, the speakers of the lower and upper houses of parliament, and representatives of ethnic minorities.
Also on the trip will be Sweden's Minister for Trade, Ewa Björling, and a trade delegation.
Swedish aid to Burma last year amounted to 122 million kronor (14 million euros or $18 million), most of it going to humanitarian aid as well as human rights and democracy promotion projects.
Relations between Western countries and Burma have thawed significantly since Thein Sein took the helm of a quasi-civilian regime last year and ushered in a period of sweeping reform, including allowing Suu Kyi's party into electoral politics.
A Burmese government official said on Wednesday that US President Barack Obama would visit the country on November 19th.
Meanwhile, Reinfeldt will also be the first Swedish prime minister to visit Indonesia, where he is scheduled to be on November 13th and 14th.
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The trip next Monday and Tuesday marks the first visit to Burma by a Swedish head of government, Reinfeldt's spokesman, Markus Friberg, told AFP.
In Yangon, the prime minister will also meet with President Thein Sein, the speakers of the lower and upper houses of parliament, and representatives of ethnic minorities.
Also on the trip will be Sweden's Minister for Trade, Ewa Björling, and a trade delegation.
Swedish aid to Burma last year amounted to 122 million kronor (14 million euros or $18 million), most of it going to humanitarian aid as well as human rights and democracy promotion projects.
Relations between Western countries and Burma have thawed significantly since Thein Sein took the helm of a quasi-civilian regime last year and ushered in a period of sweeping reform, including allowing Suu Kyi's party into electoral politics.
A Burmese government official said on Wednesday that US President Barack Obama would visit the country on November 19th.
Meanwhile, Reinfeldt will also be the first Swedish prime minister to visit Indonesia, where he is scheduled to be on November 13th and 14th.
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