BRUSSELS, March 5: Former general Thein Sein, on the first-ever visit to Brussels by a Myanmar president, received new pledges on Tuesday of EU economic assistance coupled with calls to protect his country’s ethnic minorities.

Gen (retd) Thein Sein setting out on the fourth leg of a 10-day tour of Europe, met successively with European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso, EU President Herman Van Rompuy and foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

“You have in the European Union a committed and long-term partner for the historic journey that Myanmar and its people have started,” Van Rompuy told Thein Sein, who was warmly welcomed all round for his ground-breaking reforms in the once pariah state.

Since the former premier took over the presidency in March 2011, thousands of political prisoners have been released and elections held, including the election to parliament of long-detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

“The EU and Myanmar are turning a page in their relationship,” said Mr Barroso. “More dialogue, more and better aid, more trade and investment.” While EU development aid has more than doubled to around 150 million euros for 2012-2013, Brussels said it was now ready to explore the feasibility of a bilateral investment agreement.

Ms Ashton, flanked by commissioner for industry Antonio Tajani, will visit Myanmar later this year to look at further economic support.

The EU has also offered to reinstate a preferential tariffs deal with Yangon.

Thein Sein however called on the EU to once and for all lift sanctions against Myanmar, saying “we are one of the poorest countries in the world”. Though Myanmar had enacted a new foreign investment law to attract capital to exploit its vast mineral resources “it is still a great hindrance that sanctions exist”, Thein Sein said after meeting European Parliament President Martin Schulz.

The EU in April rewarded Myanmar’s historic changes by suspending for one year a wide range of trade, economic and individual sanctions while warning it would “monitor closely the situation on the ground, keep its measures under constant review”. And Brussels on Tuesday made clear it was monitoring minority rights, notably the ongoing conflict in the northern state of Kachin, and communal Buddhist-Muslim unrest in the western state of Rakhine — where the bloc has provided some 5.5 million euros to help the internally displaced from both communities.

“Important challenges remain. In particular, on the need for a comprehensive peace settlement in ethnic areas,” Van Rompuy said.

Speaking through an interpreter, Thein Sein said his government had been able “to reduce a culture of fear” and vowed to continue to work to strengthen democracy.

“You have my promise we will continue on this path,” he stated.—AFP