Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is to visit Ireland next month during her first trip abroad in 24 years, The Irish Times has learned.
Ms Suu Kyi will make a one-day visit between trips to Norway and the UK in mid-June.
The Nobel laureate spent years under house arrest while Burma (Myanmar) was ruled by a military junta.
She has previously refused to leave Burma for fear that she would not be allowed to return.
The exact dates of her travel to Europe - which would be her first trip outside Burma since 1988 - have not been confirmed.
The choice of Norway as the first country to visit is fitting, as Ms Suu Kyi still has to formally accept the Nobel Peace Prize she was awarded back in 1991.
Shortly after her release in late 2010, Ms Suu Kyi told Ireland’s then minister for foreign affairs, Micheál Martin, in a telephone conversation how much she appreciated the support she had received from Ireland.
“She wanted to convey her deep thanks and appreciation to the people of Ireland for their support,” Mr Martin said at the time. “She was anxious to develop closer links with Ireland, particularly on the diplomatic side, in terms of getting easier mechanisms for contact.”
During the conversation, Ms Suu Kyi made reference to the Burmese being referred to as “the Irish of the east” during colonial times, and expressed interest in learning more about the Northern Ireland peace process. Mr Martin said they had tentatively discussed the possibility of a future visit.
Ms Suu Kyi was awarded the freedom of Dublin city in 2000.