Nay Pyi Taw: India is expected to extend its support for further progress in Myanmar's movement towards full democracy when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh meets opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on May 29 in what is billed as one of the high-points of his landmark visit.
Ahead of the Singh-Suu Kyi meeting in Yangon which will witness the pro-democracy icon sticking to protocol and calling on the Indian premier, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said, "Suu Kyi is one of the important leaders of Myanmar and it's natural for the Prime Minister to receive her with due courtesy and convey our best wishes for a national reconciliation for a democratic process to blossom in this country."
When asked as to what more commitments can India make in helping democracy flourish in Myanmar, Krishna said: "who are we to make more commitments to the democratic process here. This is a free, sovereign country and we share diplomatic and other relationships."
The meeting with the 66-year-old Nobel Laureate Suu Kyi will take place a day after Singh's talks with Myanmar President Thein Sein who is credited with initiating a series of political reforms in 2011.
It speaks volumes of the changed environment in Myanmar that Singh is meeting leaders at opposite ends of the political spectrum, in a break from the past few years when Indian leaders, including former President APJ Abdul Kalam and Vice President Hamid Ansari, visited this country but could not meet Suu Kyi who had been under house arrest.
Singh's meeting with Suu Kyi is seen as a clear sign that New Delhi wants a reaffirmation of ties with the democracy activist after facing international criticism in the past for its engagement with Myanmar's former military junta.
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