After a meeting with his Burmese counterpart and talks with ‘The Lady’ - opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi - Minister of Foreign Affairs Villy Søvndal said there are definite signs that Burma is emerging from its international isolation.
Mr Søvndal used the opportunity of the EU-ASEAN summit in Brunei and a short stopover in Thailand to discuss the situation in Burma with a number of foreign ministers in the region.
“The positive changes in Burma seem set to stay. My talks with the country’s foreign minister confirmed not only the government’s will to take more steps towards democracy and reforms, but also that the EU’s decision to suspend sanctions was the right one,” he said, warning though that there’s still a long way to go to achieve democracy and the international community needs to keep encouraging the military regime to stay on track.
“The will to help is enormous, not just from Denmark and the EU but from throughout the world. During talks I confirmed that Denmark is ready to contribute to further steps towards democracy, political and economic reforms, and national reconciliation. By pulling together we can drag Burma out of isolation and into constructive cooperation.”