Myanmar official to visit Manila

MANILA, Philippines - Myanmar Foreign Minister U Wunna Maung Lwin will visit Manila starting Thursday for a two-day meeting with Filipino officials, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

U Wunna Maung Lwin will lead his country’s delegation to the 2nd Meeting of the Philippines-Myanmar Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) in Manila on June 14 and 15.

The JCBC is a political mechanism for the two countries to discuss areas of mutual interest such as political cooperation, trade and investments, education, human rights, agriculture and forestry, tourism, culture and information, and law enforcement.

The foreign minister’s visit follows the historic visit of Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario to Myanmar last Feb. 8 and 9, marking a new page in Philippines-Myanmar relations following the pro-democracy reforms undertaken by the government of Myanmar led by President Thein Sein.

The Philippines and Myanmar established diplomatic relations in 1956.