U.S. President Barack Obama held talks with his visiting Myanmar counterpart Thein Sein at the White House on Monday, with their discussions focusing mainly on the challenges being faced by the fledgling civilian government in the South Asian nation.
Incidentally, Thein Sein is the first President from Myanmar (previously known as Burma) to visit the White House since 1966. Although he had earlier visited the U.S. in September 2012, it was for attending the U.N. General Assembly in New York. Subsequently, Obama visited Myanmar in November, thereby becoming the first sitting U.S. President to do so.
Addressing a joint press conference with Thein Sein after their talks, Obama praised the visiting Myanmar leader for his efforts "in leading Myanmar in a new direction," and congratulated him for "having opened the door to a country that respects human rights and respects political freedom."
"We've seen credible elections and a legislature that is continuing to make strides in more inclusivity and greater representation of all the various ethnic groups in Myanmar," the U.S. President said.
Nevertheless, Obama expressed concerns over the recent violence against the Muslim ethnic minority despite "genuine efforts" initiated by Thein Sein's government to resolve the long-standing ethnic tensions in the country, and said: "The displacement of people, the violence directed towards them needs to stop."
In response, Thein Sein admitted that his country was facing "many challenges," and said that "for democracy to flourish... we will have to move forward, and we will have to undertake political reforms and economic reforms in the years ahead … and will need the assistance and understanding of the international community, including the U.S."
The latest development comes at a time when most Western powers have either eased or lifted their sanctions against Myanmar's previous military junta in recognition of the democratic reforms implemented by the new civilian government headed by President Thein Sein.
Since assuming power in March 2011, Thein Sein's government has made great strides toward democracy, including holding of free elections to elect a new Parliament, freeing hundreds of political prisoners and initiating efforts to resolve conflicts with ethnic rebel groups.
The government has also implemented several reforms demanded by the Opposition and the international community, the most notable being the release of Opposition leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi from house-arrest.
Suu Kyi has since been elected to the Parliament in the by-elections. She had visited the U.S. in September 2012. It was her first trip to the U.S. in more than two decades. During that trip, Suu Kyi held talks with Obama as well as then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and collected the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest U.S. civilian honor, which she was awarded in 2008.
Nevertheless, the recent positive developments in Myanmar have been overshadowed to an extent by the ongoing ethnic violence between Buddhist and Rohingya Muslim communities. Continued violence had left dozens dead and thousands displaced.
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