Kathmandu, Aug 28 . The Nineteenth Session of the BIMSTEC Senior Officials’ Meeting successfully concluded today, considering the report of the Secretary General and reviewing the progress made under different agreed areas of cooperation under the BIMSTEC.
The Senior Officials’ Meeting decided to recommend to the BIMSTEC Summit for the agreement on establishment of ‘BIMSTEC Grid Interconnection’ to promote cooperation in energy among the BIMSTEC member countries, Spokesperson of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bharatraj Poudyal said.
A Memorandum of Understating would be signed to this effect in the fourth BIMSTEC Summit scheduled to be held in Kathmandu on August 30-31 with the participation of the Head of State and Head of Governments of the member states.
The meeting was held in an atmosphere of utmost cordiality and constructive spirit among the foreign secretaries of the BIMSTEC Member States. The meeting noted the progress made so far and highlighted the need to make efforts to achieve more effective results.
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, Spokesperson Poudyal said.
According to Poudyal, the meeting also considered the reports of 14 different experts’ groups and mechanisms including trade and investment, transportation and information technology among others.
Likewise, the meeting discussed aspects as to how the cooperation under the BIMSTEC could be made more effective and business-like. For this, the SOM considered various measures such as exploring the possibility of establishing BIMSTEC Development Fund, rationalization of areas of cooperation and identification of core prioritized areas, 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, initiating process for working out Rules of Procedures of BIMSTEC Mechanisms.
