BIMSTEC chief Tenzin Lekphell to visit India from Aug 22-25

Tenzin Lekphell, the secretary general of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), will visit India from August 22 to August 25, 2022.

The Secretary of the Ministry of External (MEA) Affairs, Saurabh Kumar, invited him to visit India.

According to an MEA press release, Lekphell will speak with senior Indian officials about how to move the BIMSTEC organisation and cooperation ahead in line with the BIMSTEC Leaders’ mandate.

On November 6th, 2020, Lekphell officially started serving as the BIMSTEC Secretary-General. He is the third Secretary-General of BIMSTEC.

According to the release, India is in charge of the BIMSTEC platform’s Security Cooperation pillar, which also encompasses Disaster Management, Marine Cooperation, and Energy Security. These three areas are crucial for the region’s ability to meet its SDG commitments.

A full-fledged regional organisation with a distinct international personality was established when the leaders of the seven BIMSTEC member states—Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand—adopted the BIMSTEC Charter at the 5th BIMSTEC Summit in Sri Lanka on March 3, 2022. These states are either bordering or dependent upon the Bay of Bengal.

The announcement stated that India had emphasised the necessity of swiftly establishing this recently formed regional organisation and elevating BIMSTEC collaboration.