--By TC Correspondent

 

Prime Minister Sushil Koirala left for Myanmar on Sunday (March 2) leading a Nepali delegation to the Third BIMSTEC Summit that is being held in Nay Pyi Taw, on March 4. Te delegation includes Foreign Minister Mahendra Pandey, Foreign Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister, Dinesh Bhattarai Officiating Foreign Secretary and other senior government officials.  

 

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Prime Minister Koirala is scheduled to address the Summit which will be participated by the heads of State/Government of the Member States of BIMSTEC.  Prior to the Summit, a Preparatory meeting took place on March 1. Similarly, a Senior Officials meeting and Ministerial Meeting will take place on March 2 and 3, respectively. 

 

The Summit and its related meetings will deliberate upon the various issues relating to the 14 priority areas identified under BIMSTEC cooperation, which include trade and investment, energy, poverty alleviation, transport and infrastructure, agriculture etc. The Summit will make some key decisions towards making the regional cooperation and collaboration more effective and productive. Nepal is a lead country in the area of poverty alleviation.

 

During the Summit, three agreements regarding the establishment of the BIMSTEC Permanent Secretariat, Centre for Weather and Climate, and Cultural Industries Commission and BIMSTEC Cultural Industries Observatory will be signed by the Foreign/External Affairs Ministers in presence of the Heads of State/Government. The Summit will also endorse the nomination of Sumith Nakandala as the first Secretary General of the BIMSTEC Permanent Secretariat to be established in Dhaka, Bangladesh. 

 

As per the system of alphabetical rotation and established practice, Nepal will assume the Chairmanship of BIMSTEC following the Third BIMSTEC Summit. It will have to shoulder the responsibility of the fourth summit. As Nepal will also assume the chairmanship of the SAARC after the 18th SAARC Summit to be held in Kathmandu, it will be an excellent opportunity for Nepal to demonstrate its capability in setting mission and vision for more effective regional cooperation for mutual benefits and contribute towards larger goals of regional integration, development and prosperity.

 

On the sidelines of the Summit, the Prime Minister is also scheduled to meet with his counterparts from BIMSTEC Member Countries. The Prime Minister will also meet with the opposition leader of Myanmar, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.