World News | Nepal Prez, PM Meet BIMSTEC Gen Secy, Discuss Closer Cooperation

Kathmandu, Jan 5 (PTI) Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba met BIMSTEC Secretary General Tenzin Lekphell here on Wednesday and discussed the importance of enhancing cooperation among members of the regional organisation of countries in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal.

Tenzin met Bhandari at her official residence, Sheetal Niwas.

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The president said the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) must ensure regional cooperation among the member states to make the economic bloc effective.

Earlier in the day, Tenzin called on Prime Minister Deuba at his Baluwatar residence.

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"Ways to build on the progress made thus far and further consolidate the BIMSTEC process were discussed during the meeting," according to the Foreign Ministry.

Founded in 1997, the BIMSTEC is an inter-regional grouping that seeks to foster regional and economic cooperation among nations in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal.

The bloc comprises Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and India.

The 5th Summit of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is likely to take place in March this year, the Nepalese media reported.

Tenzin Lekphell, Secretary-General of BIMSTEC in a meeting with Nepali officials proposed March 30 as a date for holding the Summit of the regional body, the Annapurna Express website reported.

The 4th Summit took place in Nepal in 2018. The Summit to be held every two years was postponed due to the Covid-10 pandemic.

The date will be announced once the Secretary-General takes the consent of all member countries.

He is currently on a tour of member countries to expedite the process of holding the 5th conference. Discussions are underway to finalise the modality of Summit in the face of the pandemic, the report said.

On Tuesday, Lekphell met Nepal Foreign Minister Narayan Khadka, Energy Minister Pampha Bhusal and Tourism Minister Prem Bahadur.

Matters including trade, investment, tourism and people-to-people contact as well as broader issues of Nepal-BIMSTEC cooperation were discussed.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)