EAM to visit Colombo for BIMSTEC summit

New Delhi, March 21 : External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday spoke with the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Thailand Don Pramudwinai, ahead of meeting him in Colombo at the end of the month for the BIMSTEC summit. In a tweet, the EAM said: “Good to speak to DPM and FM Don Pramudwinai of Thailand. “Look forward to meeting him soon in Colombo.” Colombo is hosting the 5th BIMSTEC Summit (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) on March 30. The EAM through his tweet has confirmed his participation in the gathering. The seven-nation BIMSTEC, comprising Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand was founded in 1997. Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is reported to have confirmed his participation in the meet. The Colombo Summit is expected to approve the BIMSTEC Charter, BIMSTEC Master Plan for Transport Connectivity and BIMSTEC Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters. The group will also work towards finalisation of the BIMSTEC Coastal Shipping Agreement and the Motor Vehicles Agreement. Among the seven members of the BIMSTEC, five are also members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). RN