JOIN USExternal Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid is set to leave for Myanmar on Friday for his first bilateral visit abroad after assuming office.
Khurshid will call on Myanmarese President Thein Sein apart from meeting his counterpart U Wunna Maung Lwin in Nay Pyi Taw.
The Myanmarese president will also visit New Delhi on December 20 and 21 next for the India-ASEAN commemorative summit.
During his three-day visit to Myanmar, Khurshid will also visit Yangon, where he is scheduled to inaugurate an international conference on Buddhism.
He will also attend the ceremony to mark the unveiling of the Sarnath Buddha Statue at Shwedagon Pagoda. India has gifted the statue to Myanmar.
Khurshid’s visit will also include a trip to the Anandi Temple, which is being restored with the assistance of the Archaeological Survey of India.
“The visit of the External Affairs Minister to our neighbouring country re-emphasises the importance we place on relations with our neighbours,” said spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs, Syed Akbaruddin.
This is going to be Khurshid’s first bilateral visit abroad after taking over as external affairs Minister. Shortly after replacing S M Krishna, he visited Vientiane — the capital of Lao PDR — from November 5 to 6 to attend the ninth summit of the Asia-Europe Meeting or ASEM.