BD ready to host BIMSTEC ministerial meetings: Shama

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam on Tuesday said Bangladesh is ready to host BIMSTEC Sectoral Ministerial 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 BIMSTEC Secretary General Indra Mani Pandey paid a courtesy call on her at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to a ministry press release.

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

Reiterating the government's foreign policy priority of "Bangladesh First", she stressed the need to enhance cooperation in key areas, including trade and investment, connectivity, energy, climate change and people-to-people contacts, to deliver tangible benefits to the people of the Bay of Bengal region.