14/02/2012
EU Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs has expressed support for easing sanctions against Burma/Myanmar, noting the importance of sending a message of political support to the reform efforts being undertaken by the country.
In his three-day visit to Burma/Myanmar, Piebalgs met President U Thein Sein and other senior officials to discuss the progress made on government reforms. He was accompanied at the meeting by German Development Minister Dirk Niebel and a group of German parliamentarians. Piebalgs announced an aid package of €150 million to assist the country over the next two years in the areas of health, education and agriculture.
Piebalgs also met Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Peace laureate and leader of the opposition party National League for Democracy, who agrees that sanctions should not be lifted until the by-elections have taken place. Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response was also received by Suu Kyi at the end of 2011, when she visited the country on a humanitarian mission.
The visit follows the recent Council decision to suspend visa restrictions on the president, cabinet members and other high-level officials, and comes ahead of the EU’s annual review of its sanction policy towards Burma/Myanmar in April. The European Council Statement issued on January 30 also formally welcomed the Government’s political reform agenda.