BIMSTEC summit in Kathmandu next week

The Fourth Summit meeting of the Heads of State/Government of Member States of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) will be held in Kathmandu on August 30 and 31. Nepal has assumed the Chairmanship of BIMSTEC after its Third Summit meeting held in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar in March 2014.
All Member States of BIMSTEC have confirmed their participation in the Fourth Summit and the meetings preceding it, according to a press release by Ministry of Foreign Affairs. President of Nepal Bidya Devi Bhandari will meet leaders of BIMSTEC Member States and host a luncheon in their honour on 30 August, the press release states.
Likewise, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli will chair the Summit, which will review progress achieved so far in the areas of cooperation and provide guidance to the future work of the organization. PM Oli will host a dinner with cultural programme in the same evening. The leaders will witness the signing ceremony of the legal instrument of BIMSTEC and consider the draft Kathmandu Declaration of the Summit on 31 August.
Prior to the Summit, the Nineteenth Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) and the Sixteenth Ministerial Meeting of BIMSTEC will be held on August 28 and 29 respectively, in Kathmandu.
Meanwhile, The foreign affairs experts and former diplomats have said one of the major focuses of the BIMSTEC could be the reduction of climate change effects.
During a discussion organized at Foreign Ministry today, former ambassadors and diplomats argued that time has come to link all members of the BIMSTEC through air, land and sea routes. It was essential for the promotion of trade.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali said major agenda of the forthcoming fourth BIMSTEC summit would be the establishment of BIMSTEC development fund for the holistic development of the member states, formulation of charter, and the schemes to steer the member states towards peace, prosperity and sustainability with the elimination of poverty.
According to him, Nepal as the BIMSTEC Chair and the country hosting the event, has equally prioritized the finalization of the draft of the Kathmandu Declaration, making the organization effective and result oriented and expanding the areas of cooperation.
The 14 areas of cooperation of the BIMSTEC stated previously could be lessened and concentrated on alleviation of poverty, the Minister added.
BIMSTEC was established 22 years back consisting of the countries in the south and south east Asia- Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand.