Discussions were also held on rapidly taking forward cooperation in specific areas led by India

The India visit of BIMSTEC Secretary General Tenzin Lekphell saw in-depth discussions on the development of the grouping's institutional architecture as well as cooperation in specific areas led by India.

During the visit, detailed discussions were held with the visiting BIMSTEC Secretary General on consolidation and further development of the BIMSTEC institutional architecture under the BIMSTEC Charter adopted at the last Summit (30 March 2022), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday.

Discussions were also held on rapidly taking forward cooperation in specific areas led by India including counter terrorism, disaster management, maritime cooperation and energy security.

Ongoing cooperation activities in the three BIMSTEC priority areas of poverty eradication, connectivity, and trade & investment were also reviewed, the MEA added.

The BIMSTEC Secretary General visited India from August 22 to August 25 at the invitation of Secretary (East) MEA Saurabh Kumar.

The Secretary General met Deputy National Security Advisor, Secretary Power, and Member-Secretary, National Disaster Management Authority, and reviewed BIMSTEC cooperation in sectoral areas.

Additionally, he took part in a public interactive session sponsored by Research and Information Systems for Developing Countries (RIS) titled "Rejuvenating Growth through Partnerships—Role of BIMSTEC," which was also attended by senior diplomats from the BIMSTEC diplomatic missions in New Delhi as well as the Ambassadors of Thailand, Bhutan, and Myanmar.

On Wednesday, the Secretary General met with Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh. As a follow-up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement at the last BIMSTEC Summit, the MoS ceremonially presented a check for USD 1 million for the BIMSTEC Secretariat's operational budget during the event.

According to the MEA, India is fully committed to work with BIMSTEC member states to further the BIMSTEC regional cooperation agenda and to build BIMSTEC into a vibrant regional organization for development and economic cooperation.

BIMSTEC, acronym for the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, comprises seven member states (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand) which are littoral to, or dependent upon the Bay of Bengal.

During the last BIMSTEC Summit hosted by Sri Lanka, Leaders adopted and signed the BIMSTEC Charter completing its evolution into a full-fledged regional organization with a distinct international legal personality.
Attachments area