KATHMANDU, Aug 30: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is all set to inaugurate the fourth summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical for Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) in the Capital on Thursday afternoon.

The Head of State and Head of the Government of six BIMSTEC member countries have already arrived in Kathmandu.

Bidya Devi Bhandari has hosted a lunch reception for the dignitaries at her official residence in Sheetal Niwas.

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Srisena, Thailand's Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-Cha, Myanmar’s President Win Myint, Bhutan’s Chief Justice and Chief Advisor to the Interim Government Dasho Tshering Wangchuk are taking part in the summit.

After Prime Minister Oli inaugurates the summit, the representatives of the member states will address the summit in an alphabetical order (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand)

The schedule has it that Prime Minister Oli, who will be chairing the summit, will deliver his speech for 22 minutes while the representatives of the member states will be allowed 15 minutes to put-forth their views during the Summit.

The Summit will conclude at 6 pm and then the dignitaries will attend a dinner reception to be hosted by Prime Minister Oli at Hyatt Regency Hotel.

The second session of the BIMSTEC will begin at 11 am on Friday.

The summit will conclude Friday afternoon with the signing the Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of BIMSTEC Grid Interconnection.

With the conclusion of the fourth BIMSTEC summit, Sri Lanka will take over its chairmanship.

 
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