The President of Myanmar will meet with President Obama in Washington, D.C. on Monday.  The heads of those two states haven’t had a face-to-face meeting since 1966.

It’s the latest step in Myanmar’s transition from almost 50 years of military dictatorship to civilian rule.  More than 20 political prisoners have been pardoned in advance of President Thein Sein’s trip.

Critics insist Myanmar still has a long way to go:  Many hundreds more political prisoners are still being held, and the timing and number of releases is being described as “manipulative”.

Human rights groups are also concerned about violence against Muslim minorities in recent months.

A spokesman for President Sein says Myanmar also hope the United States Congress will “understand the difficulties we are facing in our reform steps.”

President Obama will ask how the US can help Myanmar with the “many remaining challenges to efforts to develop democracy, address communal and ethnic tensions and bring economic opportunity,” a White House statement said.