India PM Manmohan Singh meets Aung San Suu Kyi

Yangon – Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh meets Tuesday with Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi as he wraps up his three-day visit to strengthen trade and investment links between the two Asian neighbors.

Prime Minister Singh met with Burmese President Thein Sein on Monday. The two leaders signed about a dozen trade and investment agreements, including deals on air services and the Indian promise of a $500 million line of credit.

Mr. Singh is the first Indian prime minister to visit Burma since 1987.

At the meeting Mr Singh invited Ms Suu Kyi to deliver a prestigious Nehru Memorial Lecture in India.

Mr Singh said he hoped the Nobel Peace laureate would play a “major role in the political process” undertaken by the new Burmese government.

Ms Suu Kyi, whose mother was Burma’s ambassador in Delhi in 1960, said she hoped to take up Mr Singh’s invitation as soon as possible.

The meeting is seen as an indication that India is open to reaffirming ties with the opposition activist. New Delhi has long been criticized for its ties with Burma’s oppressive former military leadership, which stepped down last year.

Bilateral trade between Burma and India is currently valued at $1.5 billion annually. Analysts say it is expected to exceed $3 billion by 2015.