PTI 
 
New Delhi, Mar 6: Embarking on a two-nation tour on Wednesday, President A P J Abdul Kalam will visit Myanmar to give a fresh impetus to close political understanding between New Delhi and Yangon and tour Mauritius, where he will be the Chief Guest at its the National Day Celebrations.

During his three-day stay in Myanmar, a hectic schedule awaits Kalam, who will be the first Indian President to visit Yangon. Besides having interactions with Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Senior General Than Shwe,he will address a select gathering of people of various walks of life, including the business community.

With India having a stake in Myanmar's gas reserves, Kalam is likely to have bilateral talks on cooperation in natural gas sector. The President will also visit the mausoleum of Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal Emperor of India, who was exiled to Yangon after the British quelled the first war of independence.

He is scheduled to visit the revered Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar where Buddha's relics are enshrined. Relations between Myanmar and India began warming up rapidly since late 1990s. As part of its "look east" policy, India has strengthened cooperation with Myanmar in a number of sectors including the military sector.

In October 2004, Than Shwe,who is also Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Defence Services, visited New Delhi, paving way for increased cooperation in the military sector.The two sides have agreed to jointly combat terrorist activities in the border region. The two countries share a 1,600-km long land border,besides a maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal.