MoFA Union Minister participates in 18th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting via videoconference

U Wunna Maung Lwin, Union Minister for Foreign Affairs, participated in the 18th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting via videoconference from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nay Pyi Taw which was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka in hybrid mode at 10:25 am on 29 March 2022.
The meeting was chaired by Professor Gamini Lakshman Peiris, Foreign Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and also attended by Ministers of Foreign Affairs/External Affairs of the other BIMSTEC Member States, which are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Thailand, and the Secretary-General of BIMSTEC.
At the meeting, the Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka made a welcome statement and BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers delivered their statements respectively.
In his statement, Union Minister U Wunna Maung Lwin stated that BIMSTEC has set its silver jubilee on 6 June of this year in promoting deeper cooperation among the Member States for their common goal of regional sustainable development. He stressed that natural disasters, climate change, the pandemic and population growth have been negatively attributing food security in the region, and reaffirmed that Myanmar, the Lead Country in the Agriculture and Food Security sector under the BIMSTEC framework, to enhance close cooperation among the Member States in the agriculture, fisheries and livestock sectors in facilitating enhance the production of healthy and nutritious food in the region. He highlighted that connectivity among the Member States plays a vital role in regional socio-economic development and also that the BIMSTEC Master Plan for Transport Connectivity, to be adopted at the Fifth BIMSTEC Summit, will strengthen not only regional integration but also promote intra-regional trade and investment.
The Union minister also underscored that unity and close cooperation will be a great strength in suppressing terrorism and transnational crimes in the region. He mentioned that the BIMSTEC region is prone to natural disasters and appreciated India for offering training and hosting exercises like PANEX-21 for the advancement of disaster response and management skills of the Member States. He suggested that collective efforts should be double-up for the enhancement of the People-to-People Contact among the Member States which will nurture mutual understanding of different religions, cultures and customs.
He also reiterated Myanmar’s firm commitments to active cooperation adhering to the principles enshrined in the BIMSTEC Charter such as sovereign equality, non-interference in internal affairs, peaceful co-existence, mutual respect and consensus.
At the meeting, the ministers discussed the status of important documents envisaged to be adopted/signed at the Fifth BIMSTEC Summit and adopted the Report of the 18th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting by consensus.
Then, Professor Gamini Lakshman Peiris, Foreign Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka handed over the chairmanship of the BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting to Mr Don Pramudwinai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand. — MNA