Suu Kyi meets Manmohan, lauds India ties

Myanmar's iconic leader Aung San Suu Kyi said Tuesday after meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that she was 'very happy at the prospect of closer ties with India'. She also promised to deliver a lecture in India honouring an invite from Congress leader Sonia Gandhi.

Manmohan Singh met Suu Kyi here on the third and final day of his official visit to Myanmar - a dozen agreements were inked between the two countries Monday. And in a measure of how she feels, Suu Kyi came to Manmohan Singh's hotel although other world leaders have always called on her. 

'India and Burma have been particularly close over the years not just because of our geographical positions but because we have shared deep ties of friendship for many, many long years,' the Nobel Laureate told the media after their over 45-minute meeting.

'The struggle for India's independence took place at the same time as the struggle for Burma's independence. My parents were great admirers of (India's first prime minister) Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and other Indian leaders, but we were particularly close to Panditji as I was taught to call him from a very young age,' said a smiling Suu Kyi, who leaves Tuesday night for Thailand on her first overseas trip in nearly 25 years.

Wearing a purple dress embellished with flowers, the National League for Democracy leader said: 'I am very happy at the prospect of closer ties with India because I think we have much to learn from one another and we have much to contribute to peace and stability in this region, because our goals, our democratic goals, work on the basis of peace and stability, and these are what we shall aim towards.' 

Responding to a request from Manmohan Singh to visit India, Suu Kyi said: 'I am very gratified by the invitation to deliver the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Lecture, and I hope I will take up this invitation before too long.' 

She hoped for greater exchanges 'between our two peoples'. 

'As I said to the prime minister, true friendship between the countries can be based only on friendship between our peoples, and this is what I hope we will be able to achieve,' she added. 

Manmohan Singh, who spoke first after their meeting, said: 'We in India are very proud of our longstanding association with her and members of her family including her parents.