The Myanmar delegation led by U Thet Win, Chargé d’ Affaires a.i./Minister of the Embassy of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar in Washington, D.C. participated in the BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, hosted by the Ministry of External Affairs of India, on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 27 September 2024 at Hotel Lotte New York Palace, New York, the United States of America. The meeting was chaired by Dr. S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of India and also attended by Mr. Md. Touhid Hossain, Foreign Advisor of the Interim Government of Bangladesh, Mr. D. N. Dhungyel, Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade of Bhutan, Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba, Foreign Minister of Nepal, Mr. Mohan Pieris, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in New York, Mr. Cherdchai Chaivaivid, Permanent Representative of Thailand to the United Nations in New York and Ambassador Mr. Indra Mani Pandey, Secretary-General of BIMSTEC were present at the meeting.
During the Meeting, the heads of delegations cordially discussed and exchanged views on matters pertaining to non-traditional security such as energy security, agriculture and food security, climate change, connectivity, maritime transport, trade and private sector, health, promoting youth empowerment, tourism as well as matters related to BIMSTEC cooperation mechanisms.
At the Meeting, the Myanmar Chargé d’ Affaires updated the meeting about the successful holding of the 4th Meeting of BIMSTEC National Security Chiefs (4th BNSCs) in Myanmar stating that the “Summary of Discussion” which has been circulated among the Member States will be submitted to the 6th BIMSTEC Summit. The Chargé d’Affaires underscored that the forthcoming 6th BIMSTEC Summit is important as the “Bangkok Vision 2030” and the “Rules of Procedures (RoP)” of all BIMSTEC Mechanisms will be adopted. He said Myanmar welcomed the proposals for the establishment of a “BIMSTEC Centre of Excellence for Agriculture” in India as well as for organizing training, workshops and meetings on agriculture by Bangladesh and Nepal, and also thanked India for its Cancer Care capacity building and e-medical visas for BIMSTEC Member States and for successful holding of BIMSTEC Business Summit in August 2024.
Moreover, the Chargé d’ Affaires informed the meeting that Myanmar supports the implementation of the “Master Plan for Transport Connectivity” and Sri Lanka’s initiative to set up the “BIMSTEC Expert Group on Fiscal and Monetary Policy” and also expressed that Thailand’s proposal to organize Young Entrepreneurs Forum” is a potential for the sustainable development of youth in the region. He highlighted that India’s proposal to establish a BIMSTEC Disaster Management Centre is timely as BIMSTEC region is not spared from climate change and Typhoon Yagi has severely affected Southeast Asian countries like Myanmar and Thailand, causing floods. Finally, the Chargé d’Affaires reiterated Myanmar’s commitment to continue working closely with other Member States and the BIMSTEC Secretariat for the development and prosperity of the Bay of Bengal.
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