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Burmese FM visits North Korea for first time in 25 years |
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by Mungpi
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Tuesday, 28 October 2008 20:22 |
New Delhi - Burma's Foreign Minister Nyan Win's historic visit to North Korea indicates that the isolated Southeast Asian nation is on the look-out for friendly nations, that share similar ideologies, an analyst said.
Nyan Win arrived at the North Korean capital of Pyong Yang on Monday and was greeted by his counterpart Pak Ui Chun. The two foreign ministers met and held talks at the Mansudae Assembly Hall, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said in a brief dispatch. The KCNA, however, did not provide any further details on the visit of the Burmese foreign minister.
Nyan Win is the first Burmese Foreign Minister to set foot in Pyong Yang in 25 years after the two countries severed diplomatic relations in 1983. Aung Naing Oo, a Burmese analyst based in Thailand, said the visit marks a historic turn for the two countries and indicated that the isolated Burmese generals were seeking friends, who share similar ideology.
"The visit [by Nyan Win] is natural, but it indicates a tendency of countries that share similar ideologies are getting closer," Aung Naing Oo said.
While the budding relationship between the two countries may result in trade resumption as well as supply of even arms and nuclear technologies, Aung Naing Oo said it does not carry much of a threat. "It is like the old saying – 'Birds of the same feather flock together'," he said.
Burma and North Korea severed their relationship in 1983, following a bombing in Rangoon by North Korean secret agents targeting visiting South Korea's then-President Chun Doe Hwan. He was unhurt, but 21 people were killed, including four South Korean Cabinet ministers.
The two countries, however, agreed to resume diplomatic ties in April 2007. Burma, which faces an arms embargo by the United States and European Union countries, also reportedly has bought weapons from North Korea.
Officials from the two countries have made some diplomatic visits since ties were restored. Burma's Sports Minister, Brig. Gen. Thura Aye Myint, recently travelled to North Korea. A delegation led by senior military officers also visited North Korea earlier this year.
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