Myanmar President Thein Sein called on the European Union (EU) to lift
its sanctions against his country following his talks with Austrian
President Heinz Fischer in Vienna on March 4.
Austria is
the third leg of Thein Sein’s first European visit as president, after
Norway and Finland. The President’s 10-day trip will include
Brussels, for talks with EU officials, and Italy.
At the
press briefing on his talks with the Austrian host, Thein Sein said the
20-year long economic sanctions have caused Myanmar ’s shortage of
capital and modern technologies.
Praising the
reforms implemented so far by Myanmar, Austrian President Fischer also urged
Myanmar to stick to the democratic process, saying elections in 2015
will decide the future of the country.
In April 2012, the EU suspended a series of sanctions against Myanmar, except for an arms embargo.
The
United States has also dismantled many of its key trade and investment
sanctions, while the World Bank and International Monetary Fund have
stepped up assistance for the Southeast Asian country.-VNA