Indian foreign minister Jaishankar invites Momen to visit India

India’s External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar met his Bangladesh counterpart A.K. Abdul Momen on the sidelines of the 18th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting in Colombo on Tuesday.

During the meeting, Jaishankar invited Momen to visit India at an early date.

“Nice to catch up with FM A.K.Abdul Momen of Bangladesh. Invited him to visit India at an early date,” Jaishankar tweeted.

The minister on Tuesday also met his Nepali counterpart Narayan Khadka on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC. Both the leaders discussed a range of issues including cooperation in connectivity, energy, health and power.

“Good to meet FM Narayan Khadka of Nepal on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Ministerial. Discussed our cooperation in connectivity, energy, fertilizers, health and power. Agreed to focus on taking forward the Ramayan circuit,” Jashankar said in a tweet.

The ‘Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)’ is a regional multilateral organisation. Its members lie in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal, constituting a contiguous regional unity.

Jaishankar participated in the BIMSTEC meeting on Tuesday and emphasised the grouping’s commitment to intensify and expand areas of cooperation especially connectivity, energy and maritime ties among the member countries.

“Participated at the 18th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting in Colombo today. Thank FM Prof. G.L. Peiris for his hospitality. Emphasized our commitment to intensify and expand areas of cooperation, especially connectivity, energy and maritime cooperation,” he tweeted.

During the meeting, Jaishankar said that India will encourage active business collaboration and common projects. He also stressed on collectively combating terrorism, violent extremism, transnational crime, cyberattacks and narco-trafficking.

The External Affairs Minister arrived in Colombo for a bilateral visit on Sunday and concluded his visit on Tuesday.