Jaishankar meets counterparts from Nepal, Bangladesh

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his counterparts from Nepal and Bangladesh here on Monday and agreed to work closely to implement the agenda of cooperation set out by the leaderships and exchange views on regional issues. Jaishankar is in Bangkok, Thailand, and participated in the BIMSTEC retreat.
The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a regional grouping that comprises India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal, and Bhutan. The seven countries are home to 1.73 billion people and have a combined gross domestic product of more than $4 trillion.
“Good meeting with Nepal Foreign Minister Narayan Prakash Saud. Agreed to work closely to implement the agenda of cooperation set out by our leadership. Look forward to remaining in touch,” Jaishankar tweeted along with pictures.
The minister also met Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abdul Momen. “I am pleased to meet Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abdul Momen. Discussed ongoing bilateral and multilateral cooperation. We also exchanged views on regional issues,” he tweeted.
Earlier, Jaishankar called on Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and conveyed the greetings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “I am honoured to call on Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, along with my colleagues from BIMSTEC countries. Conveyed the greetings and good wishes of PM Narendra Modi. We shared with him our commitment to further strengthen BIMSTEC,” he tweeted.
Jaishankar also held a productive discussion with his counterparts from the BIMSTEC region, and the leaders focused on strengthening “resilience and coordination” among them with the common objective of enhancing growth and promoting prosperity.
Established in 1997, BIMSTEC is an economic and technical initiative that brings together the countries of the Bay of Bengal for multifaceted cooperation. Bangladesh is set to be the new chair of the seven-nation grouping in December, when India is scheduled to be its secretary general after the BIMSTEC summit to be held in Thailand on November 30.