KATHMANDU, Aug 28: The meeting of the senior officials, including the foreign secretaries, of the member countries of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) has concluded on Tuesday.
The meeting considered a number of reports of various mechanisms related to customs cooperation, connectivity, technology, counter-terrorism and transnational crime, agriculture, poverty alleviation, public health and matters pertaining to strengthening the secretariat and adoption of the budget of the Secretariat, according to spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bharat Raj Paudyal.
FM Gyawali, BIMSTEC Secy Gen discuss hosting BIMSTEC Summit
The meeting also recommended for signature the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the establishment of the BIMSTEC Grid Interconnections which will be signed during the summit. The meeting believed that the MOU will pave the way for further cooperation in energy sector among the Member States in the BIMSTEC region.
Likewise, the meeting also discussed in length on the aspects as to how the cooperation under the BIMSTEC could be made more effective and business-like, for which the meeting hold discussion over exploring the possibility of establishing BIMSTEC Development Fund, rationalization of areas of cooperation and identification of core prioritized areas.
Similarly, strengthening of the Secretariat to make it capable of supporting member states in the implementation of the decisions, initiating process for evolving charter of the BIMSTEC and initiating process for working out rules of procedures of BIMSTEC mechanisms were discussed by the meeting.
The discussion made by the meeting will be forwarded to the minister-level meeting which is scheduled for Wednesday, which will finalize the agenda for the summit.
