EU foreign policy chief meets with Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar
Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi (L) and European Union Foreign Policy chief Catherine Ashton (R), talk to the media during a press conference inside the National League for Democracy (NLD) headquarters in Yangon on 28 April, 2012.
The European Union foreign policy chief has met with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Rangoon.
The BBC reported Catherine Ashton is in Myanmar for talks with the government and will open a new, embassy-level office in Rangoon.
The visit comes days after the EU suspended sanctions against Myanmar, otherwise known as Burma, in recognition of "historic changes," namely the recent elections which saw Suu Kyi and members of her opposition party, the National League for Democracy, elected to parliament.
More from GlobalPost: EU suspends Myanmar sanctions
Suu Kyi and the NLD have boycotted their swearing-in due to a dispute over the language of the parliamentary oath, Agence France Presse reported.
"This is a process of change," Ashton said during a joint press conference with Suu Kyi, according to AFP. "I hope we will see all the elements put in place so this will become an irreversible process that will only continue."
The EU's role in the country will be to offer investment and expertise, according to the BBC. The new office will mainly oversee aid programs but have some political function.
It is the EU's first step towards a full delegation there.
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