The Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) invited H.E. U Nanda Kyaw Swa, Deputy Speaker of Pyithu Hluttaw, the lower house of the Myanmar parliament Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, and H.E. U Win Thein, Legal Affairs and Special Cases Assessment Commission Member of Pyithu Hluttaw, to visit Germany from 19th to 24th of November 2012. The purpose of their visit was to meet international renowned experts on federalism from Germany and other countries as well as to exchange minds on related issues with members of parliament from German national- and state-level parliaments. During their stay in Germany, they also had the opportunity to participate in a conference organised by the HSF on the topic of “Federalism in Europe, Asia and beyond” in Wildbad Kreuth and Munich.

The representatives of the Myanmar parliament arrived on 20th November 2012 in Berlin, the capital of the Federal Republic of Germany, where they were greeted by H.E. U Soe Nwe, Ambassador of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar to the Federal Republic of Germany, and Hanns Bühler, Head of Division, South-/Southeast Asia of the HSF. The representatives of the Myanmar parliament had a fruitful discussion with Dr. Christian Ruck, Vice Chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the German National Parliament (Bundestag). Furthermore, they exchanged minds with other representatives of the German National Parliament on chief functions of parliaments regarding lawmaking, oversight and representation as well as the role of federalism for political systems of states.

They also had a constructive meeting with Dr. Hanns Günther Hilpert, German Institute for International and Security Affairs (Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik – SWP), and discussed with him issues concerning ethnic affairs and internal peace as well as Myanmar’s integration into the regional cooperative framework of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The high-ranking guests from Myanmar also met representatives of the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Technologie – BMWi).

On 21st November 2012 U Nanda Kyaw Swa and U Win Thein arrived in the Bavarian state capital of Munich. They had an informative meeting with Prof. Ursula Männle, Member of the Bavarian State Parliament, Vice Chairperson of the Hanns Seidel Foundation and Member in the Committee of the Regions at the European Union, at the parliament of the Free State of Bavaria (Landtag).

From 22nd to 23rd of November 2012 the high-ranking members of the Myanmar parliament participated constructively in a two day long conference on federalism in India, Pakistan, Myanmar and Europe. The two venues of the conference were the Education Center of the HSF in Wildbad Kreuth and the HSF Conference Center at the Headquarters of the HSF in Munich, Germany.