The newly appointed Secretary General of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation), Ambassador Indra Mani Pandey, yesterday evening called on Her Excellency Sheikh Hasina, Honourable Prime Minister of the Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. He was accompanied by his Spouse Mrs Sushma Pandey.

Secretary General congratulated Honourable Prime Minister on her historic re-appointment as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh for the 4^th consecutive term and commended the exemplary progress that Bangladesh has achieved under her able leadership. He wished her success in all her endeavours to realize the goal of a developed, prosperous and smart Bangladesh by 2041.

Secretary General apprised Honourable PM of the achievements made in strengthening regional cooperation through BIMSTEC since the 5^th BIMSTEC Summit in Colombo. SG profusely thanked the Government of Bangladesh for hosting the BIMSTEC Secretariat in Dhaka and providing it with the requisite support in enabling it to fulfill its responsibilities.

SG sought the Leadership of Bangladesh, as the Lead Country for regional cooperation in Trade & Investment Sector under BIMSTEC, to work closely with other member States to expedite conclusion of negotiations of the 6 constituent Agreements under BIMSTEC Free Trade Area Agreement. He requested Honourable Prime Minister’s indulgence in expeditious completion of the project to construct an Iconic Building for housing the BIMSTEC Secretariat.

Hobourable PM, referring to the abiding commitment of Bangladesh to BIMSTEC, as its founding member, assured SG of her Government’s dedication to realizing the goal of regional cooperation in Bay of Bengal region through BIMSTEC, particularly sustainable development, which is a shared goal of all the BIMSTEC member States. She also assured that the new building for BIMSTEC will be completed in next 3 years. She apprised the SG of her Government’s priorities and people-centric policies focused on realisation of the goal of sustainable development of Bangladesh including rural development. Stating that the people’s support to her is her only source of strength, she reiterated her abiding commitment to democracy in Bangladesh.

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.

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