Secretary General of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Tenzin Lekphell paid a courtesy call on Foreign Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris on his first official visit to Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka is the Chair of BIMSTEC (since 2018), and the Minister assured Sri Lanka’s commitment to furthering the goals of the regional organisation.
The Secretary General said that Sri Lanka has achieved much during its tenure which includes the finalisation of the BIMSTEC Charter and the allocation of defined areas of cooperation among member States, which form the base of the organisation.
Sri Lanka will host the fifth BIMSTEC Summit early next year where the Chairmanship will be handed over to Thailand.
As Sri Lanka is the lead country for Science and Technology and Innovation with sub-sectors of Health and Human Resource Development, the Secretary General briefed the Foreign Minister on the discussions with focal sectors which included meetings with Minister of Health Dr. Keheliya Rambukwella, State Minister of Indigenous Medicine Promotion, Rural and Ayurvedic Hospitals Development and Community Health Sisira Jayakody, State Minister of Regional Cooperation Tharaka Balasuriya, State Minister of Skills Development, Vocational Education, Research and Innovation Dr. Seetha Arambepola, and Acting Foreign Secretary A. M. J. Sadiq and Ministry officials.
The Secretary General also paid courtesy calls on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. He also emphasised the need to revive economies in the region and added that BIMSTEC has an important role to play in this area.
President Rajapaksa emphasised the need for all member states to formulate action plans under given sectors that would reach the people of the region.
The Secretary General also paid homage to the temple of the Tooth in Kandy during his visit. Additional Secretary Sabarullah Khan, Acting Director General Anzul Banu Jhan and Executive Assistant of the Economic Affairs Division Kalani Dharmasena were also associated with the visit.