The 7th meeting of BIMSTEC Joint Working Group on the establishment of BIMSTEC Permanent Secretariat began in Kathmandu on Sunday.

Chief of the Regional Organizations Division of the Ministry and leader of Nepali delegation Mani Prasad Bhattarai is leading the meeting. Other members of the Nepali Delegation include officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers and the Ministry of Finance.

Delegates from the member states are also participating in the meeting that will also review the progress made by the BIMSTEC in the 14 areas of socio-economic development prioritized by the sub-regional body. Financial and administrative issues concerning the BIMSTEC Secretariat will also be discussed.

The BIMSTEC JWG will present its report to the second preparatory meeting to the 17th session of BIMSTEC Senior Officials Meeting (BIMSTEC-PrepSOM) to be held on Monday.

Nepal is the current chair of the Bay of Bengal Initiatives for Multi-sectoral, Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC). Founded in 1997, it brings together Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka. RSS