State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam said on Tuesday that Bangladesh is ready to host BIMSTEC sectoral meetings, as mutually convenient, during its chairmanship to facilitate the timely implementation of the regional bloc’s decisions and priority initiatives.

She made the remarks when Secretary General of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Indra Mani Pandey paid a courtesy call on her at the foreign ministry here, said the ministry’s press release.

During the meeting, the state minister reaffirmed Bangladesh’s continued commitment to the BIMSTEC process and reiterated the government’s resolve to further strengthen regional cooperation during Bangladesh’s chairmanship of the grouping.

Reiterating the government’s foreign policy priority of “Bangladesh First,” she stressed the importance of enhancing cooperation in key areas, including trade and investment, connectivity, energy, climate change and people-to-people contacts to deliver tangible benefits for the peoples of the Bay of Bengal region.

The two sides exchanged views on prospective initiatives to be undertaken during Bangladesh’s tenure as chair to further advance the BIMSTEC agenda and translate the shared vision of a “Prosperous, Resilient and Open BIMSTEC” into concrete outcomes for the people of the region

During the meeting, BIMSTEC Secretary General Indra Pandey briefed the state minister on the progress of ongoing activities and key developments under the BIMSTEC framework.

He commended Bangladesh’s leadership and constructive contributions to advancing the BIMSTEC agenda and underscored the importance of strengthening regional cooperation to promote shared prosperity, resilience and sustainable development across the Bay of Bengal region.

The meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment of Bangladesh and the BIMSTEC Secretariat to deepening regional cooperation and advancing the organisation’s collective goals.