Myanmar President U Thein Sein is expected to travel to Norway in late February, with cooperation on Inle Lake conservation one of the major topics to be discussed, Norway’s charge d’affaires to Myanmar said last week.
Mr Arne Jan Floelo said on the sidelines of an Inle Lake conservation workshop held in Nay Pyi Taw that Norway had made a substantial commitment to efforts to preserve the site, which is a major international tourist attraction.
“President U Thein Sein will be going to Norway in the end of February and Inle Lake will be discussed. For Norway, our commitment has been to at least three projects. We hope that the government has got useful input and assistance from these projects. And that will help the discussion around the next step, where we go from here,” he said on January 25.
One aspect of Norway’s support has been the provision scholarships for 120 Myanmar students to undertake a master degree at the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand.
“In these scholarships … there is also an assignment to go back to Myanmar and write about issues about the lake,” Mr Floelo said.
He said Norway will wait for the government to outline its priorities in moving forward conservation plans for the Inle area.
“If they need [more] support, we will be happy to hear about it. And we can then discuss how Norway can possibly [get more] involved … in saving Inle Lake,” he said.
Source: The Myanmar Times
