EAM Jaishankar meets counterparts from Nepal and Bangladesh; discusses ongoing bilateral, multilateral cooperation

PTI, Jul 17, 2023, 4:00 PM IST

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met his counterparts from Nepal and Bangladesh here and agreed to work closely to implement the agenda of cooperation set out by the leaderships and exchanged views on regional issues.

Jaishankar is here in the capital of Thailand and participated in the BIMSTEC retreat. The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a regional grouping that comprises India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan. The seven countries are home to 1.73 billion people and have a combined gross domestic product of more than USD 4 trillion.

”Good meeting with Nepal Foreign Minister Narayan Prakash Saud. Agreed to work closely to implement the agenda of cooperation set out by our leaderships. Look forward to remaining in touch,” Jaishankar tweeted along with pictures.

The minister also met Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abdul Momen.

”Pleased to meet Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abdul Momen. Discussed ongoing bilateral and multilateral cooperation. Also exchanged views on regional issues,” he tweeted.

Earlier, Jaishankar called on Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and conveyed the greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

”Honoured to call on Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, along with my colleagues from BIMSTEC countries. Conveyed greetings and good wishes of PM @narendramodi. Shared with him our commitment to further strengthen BIMSTEC,” he tweeted.

Jaishankar also held a productive discussion with his counterparts from the BIMSTEC region and the leaders focused on strengthening ”resilience and coordination” among them with the common objective to enhance growth and promote prosperity.

Established in 1997, the BIMSTEC is an economic and technical initiative which brings together the countries of the Bay of Bengal for multifaceted cooperation. Bangladesh is set to be the new chair of the seven-nation grouping in December when India is scheduled to be its secretary general after the BIMSTEC summit to be held in Thailand on November 30.