BIMSTEC secretary general calls on PM Hasina

The newly appointed BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) secretary general Tenzin Lekphell paid a courtesy call on Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina at her Gonobhaban residence on Wednesday.

The prime minister congratulated Lekphell on his appointment as the secretary general of BIMSTEC.

The secretary general updated the prime minister on the upcoming BIMSTEC activities including the 17th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting, which will discuss the modalities and tentative timeframe for convening the fifth BIMSTIC Summit in Sri Lanka.

He apprised on the progress made in the areas of cooperation since the Fourth BIMSTEC Summit held in 2018.

The secretary general also congratulated the prime minister for leading the emergence of Bangladesh from the group of least developed countries.

Mentioning the establishment of BIMSTEC in 1997 during her first tenure as the prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina stated that many things can be achieved through joint efforts.

She assured the secretary general of her government’s full support to BIMSTEC process in making the organisation a dynamic, effective and result-oriented regional grouping.

The prime minister also spelled out her government’s various initiatives stressing equal emphasis on the lives and livelihoods of the people of Bangladesh to fight against the devastating effect caused by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.