PM Koirala to leave for Myanmar Sunday

SANTOSH GHIMIRE

KATHMANDU, March 1: Prime Minister Sushil Koirala is embarking on a five-day visit to Myanmar on Sunday to attend the Third BIMSTEC Summit to be held in Naypyidaw on Tuesday.

According to Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), PM Koirala will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Mahendra Pandey, Foreign Affairs Advisor to the Prime Minister Dr Dinesh Bhattarai, Officiating Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi and other senior officials of the government during the visit.

Issuing a statement on Saturday, MOFA informed that the prime minister will address the Summit on March 4, which will be participated by the Head of State/Government of the Member States of the BIMSTEC.

"The Summit and other meetings will deliberate upon the various issues relating to the 14 priority areas identified under the BIMSTEC cooperation, which include trade and investment, energy, poverty alleviation, transport, infrastructure, agriculture, etc. and will make some key decisions to make the regional cooperation and collaboration more effective and productive. Nepal is a lead country in the area of poverty alleviation," the statement further says.

Three agreements to be signed

Three agreements will be signed by the foreign BIMSTEC member states' foreign ministers namely establishment of the BIMSTEC Permanent Secretariat in Dhaka, Centre for Weather and Climate in Bhutan, and Cultural Industries Commission and BIMSTEC Cultural Industries Observatory in presence of the Head of State/Governments.

Sumith Nakandala to be first BIMSTEC SG

The summit will endorse the nomination of Sumith Nakandala as the first Secretary General of the BIMSTEC secretariat. Nakandala, a seasoned diplomat from Sri Lanka and a former Sri Lankan ambassador to Nepal.

"The Summit will also endorse the nomination of Sumith Nakandala as the first Secretary General of the BIMSTEC Permanent Secretariat to be established in Dhaka, Bangladesh," reads the statement.

Nepal to assume as chair of BIMSTEC

"As per the system of alphabetical rotation and established practice, Nepal will assume the chairmanship of BIMSTEC following the Third BIMSTEC Summit. It will have to shoulder the responsibility of the fourth summit," the statement says.

According to Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nepal will host the BIMSTEC summit in Kathmandu following the 18th SAARC Summit. Nepal will be hosting SAARC summit in November.

"As Nepal will also assume the chairmanship of the SAARC after the 18th SAARC Summit to be held in Kathmandu, it will be an excellent opportunity for Nepal to demonstrate its capability in setting mission and vision for more effective regional cooperation for mutual benefits and contribute towards larger goals of regional integration, development and prosperity," the statement says.

PM to meet Indian PM, Suu Kyi

On the sidelines of the Summit, the Prime Minister is also scheduled to meet Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, according to PM's Foreign Affairs Advisor Dr Dinesh Bhattarai. The Prime Minister will also meet with the opposition leader of Myanmar, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Prior to the summit Foreign Minister Pandey is taking part in the 14th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting to be held on 3 March 2014 and a delegation led by the Officiating Foreign Secretary is taking part in the 16th Senior Officials´ Meeting on March 2, according to the MOFA statement. Concluding his trip PM Koirala will return home on March 6.

Source: http://www.news.myanmaronlinecentre.com/2014/03/01/pm-koirala-to-leave-for-myanmar-sunday/