MoFA Union Minister attends BIMSTEC FMs’ Retreat in Bangkok

Ministry of Information/ Naypyitaw / July 18, 2023

AT the official invitation of Mr Don Pramudwinai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, the current Chair of BIMSTEC, Union Minister for Foreign Affairs U Than Swe participated in the BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers’ Retreat held on 17 July 2023.

Foreign Ministers of the BIMSTEC Member States i.e. Dr A K Abdul Momen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, Dr Tandi Dorji, Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade of Bhutan, Dr S Jaishankar, Minister for External Affairs of India, Mr Narayan Prakash Saud, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nepal, Mr Ali Sabry, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, Mr Don Pramudwinai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Thailand and Mr Tenzin Lekphell, BIMSTEC Secretary-General were present at the Retreat.

During the Retreat, Foreign Ministers cordially discussed and exchanged views on matters related to the BIMSTEC Cooperation mechanism as well as regional and global issues.

On the BIMSTEC Cooperation mechanism, their discussions focused on the cooperation with the external partners, the establishment of the Eminent Persons’ Group (EPG) on the Future Directions of BIMSTEC and the holding of the BIMSTEC Ministerial Meetings. They also deliberated on resiliency to crisis i.e. pandemic, financial crisis and natural disasters, post-Covid-19 economic development and other regional and global issues including ways and means to establish cross-border digital payment systems, health, energy and food security.

After the Retreat, the BIMSTEC Chair of Thailand hosted a Luncheon in honour of delegations to the BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers’ Retreat.

Then, the BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers paid a joint courtesy call to Mr Prayut Chano-cha, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand.

On the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers’ Retreat, Mr Tenzin Lekphell, Secretary-General of BIMSTEC paid a courtesy call on Union Minister U Than Swe on the afternoon of 16 July 2023. During the call, the Union minister handed over the original document of Myanmar’s “Instrument of Ratification to the BIMSTEC Charter” to the Secretary-General. Myanmar has already ratified the BIMSTEC Charter as per the provisions stipulated in the Charter.

On the evening of 16 July 2023, Union Minister U Than Swe together with the Foreign Ministers from other BIMSTEC Member States attended the welcoming dinner hosted by Mr Don Pramudwinai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Thailand, the current Chair of BIMSTEC.

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a regional organization established in 1997 and it comprises seven Member States namely 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 now serving as the Lead Country in “Agriculture and Food Security Sector”.

MNA
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