Receiving SG of BIMSTEC: President received Secretary-General of BIMSTEC

A delegation led by Mr. Indra Mani Pandey, Secretary-General of BIMSTEC, paid a courtesy call on U Min Aung Hlaing, President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, in the morning on June 22nd, at the Presidential Guest Hall in Nay Pyi Taw.

The meeting was attended by, Union Minister for President’s Office U Khin Maung Yi, Union Minister for Foreign Affairs U Tin Maung Swe, and other responsible officials; and the officials accompanying Secretary-General. First, the President expressed his pleasure at meeting His Excellency and welcomed him to Myanmar.

He noted that Myanmar has been a founding member of BIMSTEC, and that next year will mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the organization, which was founded with noble objectives and has already achieved many milestones. He emphasized that BIMSTEC is a group that fosters strong cooperation among member states without political interference.

He also expressed gratitude for the congratulatory message sent by His Excellency upon his election as President, and stated that his administration has strived its best to ensure a free and fair multi-party democratic general election. In response, the BIMSTEC Secretary-General expressed his pleasure and honor at meeting the President.

He conveyed his congratulations on the successful conduct of the free and fair multi-party democratic general election in Myanmar and on the President's election. He expressed confidence that the government led by the President would work diligently for the socio-economic development and stability of Myanmar and its people.

He noted that since assuming the presidency, the President has made several foreign visits, which he believed would further strengthen regional relations. He stated that Myanmar's future is now open, and that Myanmar is actively participating within BIMSTEC, ranking first in terms of cooperation.

He added that BIMSTEC would soon hold leadership meetings and various other activities, and would continue to enhance cooperation with Myanmar. Afterwards, the two sides exchanged views openly and cordially on matters including Myanmar's full participation in BIMSTEC, the need to support the development of landlocked member states such as Nepal and Bhutan, Myanmar's upcoming assumption of the BIMSTEC Secretary-General role next year and its commitment to performing at its best during that tenure, and ways to improve people-to-people ties and interaction among BIMSTEC member states. At the conclusion of the meeting, the President and the BIMSTEC Secretary-General exchanged commemorative gifts, it’s reported.