UN Chief Arrives In Latest High-Level Myanmar Visit

Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi (left) talks to reporters in front of the National League for Democracy Party head office in Yangon on April 22.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has arrived in Myanmar, in the latest high-level visit to the Southeast Asian nation as it emerges from decades of military rule.

Ban is expected to hold talks with Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former political prisoner who recently won a parliament seat in a by-election.

Ban is also due to meet with President Thein Sein and speak to parliament.

Ahead of his visit, Ban described Myanmar’s reforms as “fragile” and at a “critical moment.”

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, is also currently visiting Myanmar following the recent suspension of EU sanctions against the country to reward it for its moves toward change, which have included elections and economic reforms.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP