The Secretary General of BIMSTEC called on the President of Sri Lanka, H.E. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, on 08 December, at the Office of the President in Colombo. Reaffirming Sri Lanka’s commitment to BIMSTEC cooperation, the President expressed his dedication and keen interest to work with other Member States and the Secretary General to explore ways and means of ensuring that regional cooperation efforts through BIMSTEC translate into meaningful and tangible benefits that would directly impact the people of the region. The President also expressed commitment to strengthening the institutional framework of BIMSTEC and expressed confidence, as Chair of BIMSTEC, in hosting the 5^th BIMSTEC Summit at the earliest possible, in 2022.