Myanmar’s prime minister met Monday in Hanoi with his Vietnamese counterpart two months prior to a summit here that European Union leaders have threatened to boycott if the junta from Yangon is allowed to participate.

Gen. Khin Nyunt met Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai behind closed doors after arriving in Vietnam and reviewing an honor guard at the Presidential Palace. The Foreign Ministry said the two were meeting to “promote friendly relations between the two countries and discuss regional and international issues of mutual concern.”

Khin Nyunt declined to answer questions from the media.

Hanoi is expected to host the Asia-Europe Meeting, or ASEM, Oct. 8-9, but the EU and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, have been deadlocked for months over whether Myanmar should attend.

The EU, which has imposed sanctions on Myanmar, also known as Burma, over its human rights record and the house arrest of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, has said it opposes the country’s presence at ASEM.

In return, ASEAN nations have said they will block participation by the 10 newest EU member countries unless Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia are all granted ASEM membership.

Last month, the EU sent an envoy to Asia to try to reach a compromise, but ASEAN leaders refused to back down.

While in Vietnam, Khin Nyunt was also expected to call on Communist Party leader Nong Duc Manh and National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Van An during his one-day visit.

It was unclear whether ASEM was on the agenda. But diplomats in Yangon have said ASEM would likely come up between leaders during Khin Nyunt’s tour of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia this week.

Khin Nyunt, who took office last August, unveiled a so-called road map to democracy a year ago, which claims it will lead Myanmar to free elections and a new government. The junta then launched a national convention in May to draft guidelines for a new constitution.

The opposition party, however, boycotted the meeting and dismissed it as a sham after the nation’s military rulers refused to release Suu Kyi from house arrest.