London’s Lord Mayor makes visit to Myanmar - Opinion

I am delighted to be the first Lord Mayor of the City of London to have the opportunity to visit this beautiful country, which I last visited in 1977. This is an important opportunity for British business and investors to engage more deeply with their counterparts as we help to support Myanmar’s economic development.

A large part of my role as the elected Lord Mayor of the City of London involves travelling overseas to engage in commercial diplomacy with some of Britain’s most important global trading partners. This year I have visited 30 countries, spending more than 100 days abroad building relationships between London and its business counterparts overseas. It is my hope that this visit will enable me to understand better the opportunities for British business in this region, and the needs of the local community.

As the economy liberalises, there will be many more opportunities for economic engagement with European countries. I would urge local companies to look to the City of London as their partner of choice.

London is filled with expertise in many other areas as well. We have a huge amount of expertise in all aspects of construction and infrastructure financing, and as last summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games showed, we have the expertise and experience to deliver projects on time and on budget. As you undertake ambitious building projects in your major cities, the City of London can provide the expertise needed to ensure projects achieve both quality and value for money.

Legal and professional services, including maritime services, are another area where our two countries can work together to support economic growth, and I am encouraged by firms such as Allen & Overy, who have been delivering training across the government on the enactment of privatisation legislation.

This is exactly the kind of collaboration we must encourage to benefit both our countries.

Greater opportunities for engagement in this region are an important priority for the UK’s business community. I believe this visit is a great opportunity to engage further with the local community to improve bilateral economic opportunities for businesses in all sectors.

Roger Gifford is Lord Mayor of London.

source: The Myanmar Times
http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/business/8361-london-s-lord-mayor-makes-visit-to-myanmar-opinion.html