Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) his Burmese counterpart, (b) Htin Kyaw, (c) elected officials of the National League for Democracy and (d) Aung San Suu Kyi on transitioning from the former military government to the current government in that country.

I have not met President Htin Kyaw. However, I did meet State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in London on 13 September together with the Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Theresa May), where we discussed ways in which the UK could support Burma's political transition. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Boris Johnson) also met her on 12 September where he too discussed the transition. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my noble Friend, the Rt Hon. Baroness Anelay of St Johns, visited Burma from 9-12 November and met a number of Government Ministers. The British Embassy in Rangoon, including the British Ambassador, regularly discuss democratic transition with Members of Parliament from the National League of Democracy. The UK has been a leading supporter of Burma's reform process since 2011. We supported elections in 2015 which led to Burma's first civilian Government in over half a century. However, the transition is not complete and we will continue to work with the new Government to consolidate the reforms. This includes a package of support worth £113 million this year.