A special U.S. envoy will visit Myanmar and Thailand next week to build on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's Dec. visit to Myanmar, the State Department said on Thursday.

While in Myanmar, special representative and policy coordinator for Myanmar Derek Mitchell plans to meet with interlocutors in Nay Pyi Taw and Rangoon "to follow up on Secretary Clinton's December visit," the State Department said.

It said that the envoy will also travel to Bagan to see microfinance programs and other development work in the country's dry zone.

In northern Thailand, he is scheduled to meet with local officials and assistance groups working with refugees in the border region.

Mitchell "plans to visit Burma (Myanmar) frequently to build on our principled engagement, including dialogue with the Burmese government and local stakeholders," the agency said in a statement.

Clinton became the first U.S. secretary of state ever to visit Myanmar in more than 50 years, as U.S. President Barack Obama saw "flickers of progress" in the Southeast Asian nation.

The new government in Myanmar, which took office on March 30, 2011, has been pushing for political and economic reforms in the country, including the release of political prisoners.

Mitchell's visit runs through next Monday to Friday.