<div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The foreign ministerial BIMSTEC meeting has emphasized the importance of enhancing physical, maritime, and digital linkages to strengthen economic ties and people-to-people exchanges among the member states.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This was observed at the first ever meeting of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Foreign Ministers in New York on the sidelines of the annual Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Friday, a BIMSTEC press release said here today.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">India hosted the meeting which was presided over by Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and attended by Bangladesh foreign adviser Md Touhid Hossain along with foreign ministers of Bhutan and Nepal, Permanent Representatives to UN of Sri Lanka and Thailand, a representative of Myanmar and Secretary General of BIMSTEC.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The meeting took stock of the close cooperation in health, food security, climate change, security, trade and investment and energy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The member states also laid emphasis on exploring opportunities for capacity building and skill development.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The support for the establishment of BIMSTEC Centres of Excellence was expressed by the member States.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The meeting concluded with a shared resolve to further deepen cooperation within BIMSTEC and prepare for the upcoming Leaders' Summit.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">BIMSTEC comprises seven countries of the Bay of Bengal region: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It pursues regional cooperation in seven broad sectors: Agriculture and Food Security; Connectivity; Environment and Climate Change; People to People Contact; Science, Technology and Innovation; Security; and Trade, Investment and Development.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The cooperation also covers 8 sub-sectors: blue economy, mountain economy, energy, disaster management, fisheries and livestock, poverty alleviation, health and human resource development.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>