The newly appointed Secretary General of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation), Ambassador Indra Mani Pandey, today called on H.E. Dr. Hasan Mahmud, M.P., Honourable Foreign Minister of Bangladesh.  

Secretary General congratulated H.E. Dr. Hasan Mahmud on his appointment as the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh and apprised him of the progress being made in fostering regional cooperation under BIMSTEC framework. 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. He also commended the vital role of Bangladesh in making progress in regional cooperation within BIMSTEC framework. He briefed Honourable 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.

Secretary General discussed with Honourable Minister the avenues for strengthening and deepening future cooperation amongst the BIMSTEC member States, including in the sector of  Trade, Investment & Development, which is led by Bangladesh. Honourable Minister underlined the importance of fostering cooperation in other sectors, particularly in sector of Science, Technology and Innovation.

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.