Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi will pay official visits to four European countries at the end of April, followed by a trip to China in May, according to Zaw Htay, the deputy director general of the Office of the State Counsellor.
Speaking to DVB this morning, Zaw Htay said, “She will pay a friendship visit to Belgium, Italy, France and Britain at the end of this month. The details of the trip will be announced soon.
“After she comes back, she will join other world leaders in attending the OBOR road safety forum in China in the second week of May.”
This month’s trip will mark Suu Kyi’s first official visit to Belgium, Italy and France since taking office in 2015, and her second trip to the UK.
Suu Kyi lived much of her younger life in Oxford, England, where she married and had two sons. Her husband, Michael Aris, died in 1999. To date, Suu Kyi is barred from seeking the Burmese presidency under the 2008 constitution because her sons have foreign citizenship.
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The state counsellor visited the UK last September, when she met with British Prime Minister Theresa May.
She also visited China last year – her first official trip abroad after taking power.
Her office has not yet confirmed dates for the next round of peace talks – dubbed the 21st Century Panglong Conference – which is slated for mid-May when she is due to sit down with ethnic leaders and other representatives of Burma’s armed groups.
