Newly appointed Secretary General of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Ambassador Indra Mani Pandey on Tuesday commended the vital role of Bangladesh in making progress in regional cooperation within BIMSTEC framework.

During his meeting with Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he thanked the government of Bangladesh for hosting the BIMSTEC Secretariat in Dhaka and providing it utmost support in enabling it to fulfill its responsibilities.

The Secretary General briefed the Minister on the deliberations by the Eminent Persons Group in their first meeting in Dhaka on 25 January 2024 on chartering a new future for BIMSTEC.

He discussed with the Minister the avenues for strengthening and deepening future cooperation amongst the BIMSTEC member States, including in the sector of trade, investment and development, which is led by Bangladesh.

The Foreign Minister underlined the importance of fostering cooperation in other sectors, particularly in sector of science, technology and innovation.

The Secretary General of BIMSTEC congratulated Dr Hasan on his appointment as the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh and apprised him of the progress being made in fostering regional cooperation under BIMSTEC framework.

BIMSTEC comprises seven countries of the Bay of Bengal region: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

It pursues regional cooperation in the following seven sectors: Agriculture and Food Security; Connectivity; Environment and Climate Change; People to People Contact; Science, Technology and Innovation; Security; and Trade, Investment and Development, according to BIMSTEC Secretariat.