Myanmar Prime Minister, General Thein Sein met with Singapore's Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday (March 17) in the Presidential Palace during an official diplomatic visit.
Thein Sein started his visit with a review of the Singapore guards followed by a meeting with Prime Minister Lee.
The visit comes after the 10 leaders of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), who met in Thailand at the start of the month, urged Myanmar "to be as inclusive as possible" in preparing next year's elections by allowing all political parties to participate and to free all political prisoners.
The problems with Myanmar illustrate the challenges ASEAN faces in becoming an integrated political and economic community.
Myanmar's military junta, which has ruled the former Burma since 1962, did not recognise a 1990 landslide election victory of the opposition National League for Democracy and put its leader Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest.
The United States wants ASEAN, which includes Singapore, to press for reforms and political progress in Myanmar.
Singapore, a strong U.S. ally, has opposed sanctions of Myanmar and is believed to be the home of Myanmar generals' offshore bank accounts.
On March 18, Singapore's Botanic Garden will hold an Orchid naming ceremony for Myanmar's Prime Minister.
It is a tradition for the city state to name an orchid after visiting dignitaries.
ENDS.
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