Actg. Myanmar PM due here tomorrow

Acting Prime Minister of Myanmar, Lt. Gen. Thein Sein is due in Sri Lanka tomorrow on the invitation of Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake. He leads a high level Industrial delegation including the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Commerce, Agriculture and Irrigation, Transport, Religious Affairs and Forestry.

The Acting Prime Minister will be met on arrival by Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama and Cultural Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena will be the Minister in Attendance for the visit, a media release from the Foreign Ministry said.

The relationship between the two countries dates back to more than ten centuries and particularly the strong religious foundation based on Theravada Buddhism has been one of the strong pillars upon which the two countries have made significant progress towards strengthening friendly ties.

The visit marks another important milestone in bilateral relations which coincides with the presentation of two tusker elephants by the Acting Prime Minister on behalf of the government and people of Myanmar to the Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy. This gesture will go a long way in consolidating religious, cultural and people to people relations between the two countries. In recognition of this magnanimous gesture the Government has arranged a special ceremony for the Myanmar delegation to pay homage to the Sacred Relic of Lord Buddha in Kandy during the Esala perahera season.

On the political front both countries regained independence in 1948 and the respective governments have been making elaborate arrangements for the celebration of their 60th anniversary of the Diplomatic Relations in 2009. Sri Lanka and Myanmar are members of BIMSTEC and are engaged in efforts to setup a BIMSTEC free trade zone to further strengthen economic relations between the two countries.

Both countries are keen to increase bilateral cooperation in the areas of trade, investment, technology transfer, transport, communication, tourism and cultural relations. Several MoUs will be signed between the two countries on Buddhist Studies and Cultural Cooperation. The delegation will pay courtesy calls on the Mahanayakes Theras of the four main chapters, President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake besides the ministerial level meetings scheduled between Sri Lanka and Myanmar. Foreign Minister Bogollagama will call on the Actg. Prime Minister and is also expected to hold a bilateral meeting with his counterpart. The delegation is expected to visit the ancient city of Anuradhapura and participate in a religious ceremony.

The business delegation accompanying the Acting Prime Minister will have extensive discussions with the members of the Business Chamber, Board of Investment, Trade, Investment, Tourism, potential investors and the business community within the framework of the Sri Lanka - Myanmar Joint Commission of which the first meeting was held in Myanmar in July 2007. The visit of the delegation led by the Acting Prime Minister of Myanmar will open a new chapter in bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and Myanmar, the release said.