Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar U Lwin Oo received Ambassador Indra Mani Pandey, Secretary-Gen­eral of BIMSTEC, who is now in Nay Pyi Taw for his introductory visit to Myanmar, yesterday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During the call, they cor­dially discussed and exchanged views on matters related to BIMSTEC cooperation mech­anisms. Their discussions also focused on the importance of food security in the region. Fur­thermore, they deliberated on the works of BIMSTEC EPG on the future directions of BIMS­TEC and the holding of core and sectoral BIMSTEC meetings regularly. The deputy minister highlighted that the BIMSTEC Division of the Ministry of For­eign Affairs is designated as the BIMSTEC National Focal Point of Myanmar and coordinating with all relevant ministries of Myanmar to expedite cooper­ation with BIMSTEC.

On the evening of 23 July 2024, Deputy Minister U Lwin Oo hosted a welcome dinner in honour of the BIMSTEC secre­tary-general and his delegation at the MGallery Hotel in Nay Pyi Taw.

Ambassador Indra Mani Pandey of India assumed his du­ties as the 4^th secretary-general of BIMSTEC in January 2024. It was learned that the secre­tary-general had made earli­er introductory visits to other BIMSTEC Member States.

The Bay of Bengal Initia­tive for Multi-Sectoral Techni­cal and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a regional or­ganization established in 1997. It comprises seven Member States: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

The main aim of BIMS­TEC is to promote economic cooperation among the Mem­ber States of the Bay of Bengal region. Out of the current seven Sectors of BIMSTEC Coopera­tion, Myanmar is serving as the Lead Country for BIMSTEC “Agriculture and Food Security Sector”. — MNA