KATHMANDU: External Affairs Minister of India Sushma Swaraj arrived in Kathmandu on Thursday afternoon to participate in the 15th ministerial meeting of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).

During her stay in Kathmandu, Swaraj will call on Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, followed by President Bidya Devi Bhandari and other top political leaders. Swaraj will also hold bilateral talks with her counterparts from other member countries.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representatives from Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand have also arrived here for the BIMSTEC meeting.

Prime Minister Deuba is scheduled to inaugurate the ministerial meeting at 6:00 pm. The secretaries and high-ranking officials of foreign affairs ministry of some member-states of the BIMSTEC will also attend the 18th Senior Officials Meeting before the ministerial meet.

EAM @SushmaSwaraj arrives at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu pic.twitter.com/iuOdIOdRr6

— IndiaInNepal (@IndiaInNepal) August 10, 2017

The sub-regional organisation of the southern and south-eastern countries of Asia was established 20 years ago for the rapid economic development of the member countries.

According to the programme agenda, the meeting will discuss the status of the progress and achievement in the 14 areas of cooperation, appointment of the next secretary general, date and venue of the 16th BIMSTEC ministerial meeting, and adoption of the joint statement of the 15th BIMSTEC Ministerial meeting among others.

The Nepali delegation in the meeting is being led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Krishna Bahadur Mahara. Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi is representing Nepal in SOM.

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