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Bhutan's Foreign Minister DN Dhungyel and Myanmar's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister U Than Swe on Wednesday arrived in New Delhi to attend the BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers' Retreat.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that Dhungyel's visit will further strengthen the close bonds of friendship and cooperation between India and Bhutan. In a post on X, Jaiswal stated, "Warm welcome to @FMBhutan D.N. Dhungyel as he arrives in New Delhi for the BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers' Retreat. The visit will further strengthen close bonds of friendship and cooperation between India & Bhutan and advance regional cooperation." Mentioning details regarding Myanmar Deputy PM's visit, Jaiswal in a post on X stated, "Deputy PM & FM U Than Swe of Myanmar arrives to a warm welcome in New Delhi for the BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers' Retreat. Productive discussions on strengthening regional cooperation for a prosperous, connected and secure Bay of Bengal region lie ahead." External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will host his counterparts for the 2nd BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers' Retreat in New Delhi on July 11-12, MEA announced on Wednesday. In a statement, MEA stated, "The Retreat will present an opportunity for the Foreign Ministers of the BIMSTEC countries to discuss, in an informal setting, avenues to broaden and deepen cooperation across various sectors including in the fields of security, connectivity, trade and investment, people to people contacts etc, in the Bay of Bengal region and littoral." The first edition of the BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers' Retreat was held in Thailand's Bangkok on July 17, 2023. In the press release, the MEA stated, "The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), brings together seven countries of South and South East Asia for multifaceted cooperation." The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a regional organization that was established on 06 June 1997 with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration. Initially known as BIST-EC (Bangladesh-India-Sri Lanka-Thailand Economic Cooperation), the organisation is now known as BIMSTEC and comprises seven Member States with the admission of Myanmar on 22 December 1997, and Bhutan and Nepal in February 2004. (ANI)
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