Najib visits Myanmar, 28th March 2012

The 2 leaders in a meeting. Look at the huge difference in the costumes of the 2 leaders, Najib (left) is smartly dressed while Myanmar's President, U Thein Sien is only clad in a "Sarong" and wearing a pair of slippers/Sandals???


Will Najib meet Myanmar's pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi?? I Don't Know.

Source : The Star Online, Wednesday 28th March 2012

NAYPYITAW (Myanmar): Myanmar rolled out the red carpet for Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak who arrived here Wednesday, 28th March 2012, on his maiden official visit to the country.

Myanmar President U Thein Sein and his wife, Khin Khin Win, welcomed Najib and his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, upon their arrival at the Union President's Office.

After the national anthems of both countries were played, Najib inspected a guard-of-honour.

Najib and Thein Sein later held a restricted meeting, which was followed by a delegation meeting.

Their spouses, meanwhile, held a separate meeting, with Rosmah calling on Khin Win at the same venue. Najib, who is on a two-day official visit, has a heavy itinerary aimed at strengthening bilateral relations.

Joining him on the visit is a 100-member strong delegation, with more than 50 of them businessmen.

Malaysia and Myanmar established diplomatic relations in 1957 and have a close and friendly relationship which is characterised by an excellent network of cooperation in various fields including trade and investment, technical cooperation, human capital development, banking and finance, defence, tourism, plantation, sports and hydrocarbon exploration.

Najib will wrap up his first day of the visit by attending a state banquet with Rosmah at the Union President's Palace.

Meanwhile, in a joint statement issued at the end of the meeting between Najib and Thein Sein, Malaysian and Myanmar leaders have agreed to foster greater political linkages and cooperation in strategic fields and elevate the levels of trade and investment to enhance bilateral relations.

Expressing satisfaction at the excellent state of bilateral relations at all levels and positive growth in trade and investment, the two leaders reaffirmed the commitment to consolidate existing bilateral relations and strive for greater cooperation in strategic areas of mutual interest.

"Both leaders agreed that mutual trust and understanding, including constant engagement in dialogue, are the ingredients for elevating the friendly and constructive relations between the two countries," said the statement.

Both sides agreed to convene the first Joint Commission Meeting, to be headed by the respective foreign ministers, to continuously facilitate consultation and cooperation in the areas of common interest at a mutually agreed date.

The two leaders agreed to foster political linkages through exchanges of visits at all levels in order to further enhance government-to-government cooperation and people-to-people contacts.

Both leaders also agreed to explore the possibilities of expanding cooperation in potential sectors in the Myanmar economy, particularly in plantation, agriculture, energy, construction, manufacturing, telecommunications, tourism and hospitality where Malaysia has the experience.

The two leaders expressed satisfaction with the close cooperation between the two countries in the areas of labour and human resources and both countries acknowledged the important contribution of Myanmar's labour force to Malaysia's economic development.

The two sides also agreed to continue working together in the capacity building field through specific identified training courses under the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP) according to Myanmar's immediate needs.

The Malaysian and Myanmar leaders also looked forward to collaborating closely to ensure the success of Myanmar's chairmanship of Asean in 2014 before the eventual succession of Malaysia in 2015.

The two leaders welcomed the cooperation in the field of training for young and mid-level diplomatic officers to enhance the skills of officers in light of Myanmar's chairmanship of Asean in 2014.

Both sides also agreed to enhance collaboration in the field of sports through assistance and sharing of experience vis-a-vis Myanmar's preparation in hosting the SEA Games next year.

The leaders of both countries reaffirmed that the official visit by Najib to Myanmar has further strengthened the bilateral ties.

Najib also extended an invitation to Thein Sein to undertake an official visit to Malaysia.