Dr Yunus likely to attend BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok

Interim government Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus is likely to attend the BIMSTEC Summit to be held in Bangkok, Thailand in September first week.

This is going to be his first foreign tour as head of the interim government.

Prof Dr Yunus will deliver his speech at the summit on 4 September, an official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Thailand will host the next summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).

Bangladesh will take responsibility as the next chair of BIMSTEC there.

As per the draft schedule, the chief adviser will leave Dhaka for Bangkok on 3 September and will return home on 5 September.

He is likely to hold a number of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit, including a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The 2nd BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers' Retreat was held in New Delhi on 11-12 July and saw the participation of Foreign/External Affairs ministers from all member states, with the exception of Nepal, which was represented by its foreign secretary.

Secretary General of the BIMSTEC Indra Mani Pandey has recently said the next Summit will have some significant outcomes and it will set a direction for the future of the BIMSTEC.

The BIMSTEC secretary general hoped the upcoming Summit would add new vigour to regional cooperation within BIMSTEC.

"I believe BIMSTEC has a bright future. All the members are truly committed to make sure BIMSTEC becomes a success story," he said while making a presentation on BIMSTEC activities at its headquarters in Dhaka recently.

The Summit will adopt a Bangkok Vision 2030 which would be an overarching kind of document and give direction to the organisation, he said, adding that it would be one of the significant outcomes.

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), brings together seven countries in South and Southeast Asia for multifaceted cooperation.