PM Dahal reaffirms Nepal's commitment to BIMSTEC's collective wellbeing, regional cooperation

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has stated that Nepal is fully committed to working for the collective well-being of the people of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) region. 

In a message delivered on the occasion of the 27th anniversary of the inception of BIMSTEC, Prime Minister Dahal expressed Nepal's unwavering commitment to the objectives and principles enshrined in the BIMSTEC Charter. 

Extending his best wishes to the governments and the people of the member nations on behalf of the Nepali government and himself, PM Dahal said regional cooperation stands as a mainstay of stability, economic prosperity, and solidarity in today's complex, dynamic, and interconnected world. 

BIMSTEC was established as an intergovernmental forum comprising friendly countries of South Asia and Southeast Asia to realise the shared aspirations of our people for a well-integrated, peaceful, and prosperous region through strengthened regional cooperation and partnerships, PM Dahal noted, adding the forum has made some landmark achievements and much remains to be done to translate the spirit of its Charter into concrete reality. 
"BIMSTEC as a region holds immense potential and opportunities in uplifting millions of people out of poverty, establishing missing links in connectivity; expanding energy cooperation; enhancing trade, investment, and tourism; keeping progress of Sustainable Development Goals and leaving no one behind", the message reads. 

By leveraging its diverse strengths and complementarities, BIMSTEC has continued to make strides towards the institution-building process, forge synergies for win-win benefits, and deepen collaboration in agreed areas of cooperation, the prime minister stated. 

Dahal further said that Nepal, as a lead country in the people-to-people contact sector, remains steadfast to further work closely with all the member states in a spirit of unity and friendship for meaningful partnerships to unlock regional potentials for shared prosperity. 

The peace, prosperity, and collective wellbeing of the people of the region hinge on the success stories of BIMSTEC, he noted, highlighting the urgency of building broader political commitments and consensus for enhanced collaborations and achieving people-centred development. 
He further noted that the coming into force of the BIMSTEC Charter since last May has provided added momentum to this end. 

BIMSTEC aims to support the rapid economic development of member nations by implementing assistance projects for trade, investment, industry, technology, human resources, tourism, agriculture, infrastructure, and connectivity expansion.
BIMSTEC was established on June 6, 1997, with the objective of jointly achieving economic growth and social prosperity of the member nations by embracing the spirit of equality and cooperation.

By RSS