KATHMANDU: Prime Minister of Thailand Prayut Chan-o-cha has arrived in Kathmandu to attend the fourth summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) being held here today and tomorrow.

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Ishwor Pokhrel received the Thai PM who landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) at around 10:15 am.

Chief of Protocol Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Deepak Adhikari, Thai Ambassador to Nepal Bhakavat Tanskul and Nepali Ambassador to Thailand Khaganath Adhikari also welcomed the Thai Prime Minister.

The Thai PM was presented the guard of honour by Nepal Army personnel before he left the airport for Soaltee Crowne Plaza, the venue for the BIMSTEC summit.

The dignitaries from Myanmar, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Indian and Bangladesh have already arrived to attend the summit. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed arrived here this morning.

The BIMSTEC summit scheduled to be inaugurated by its current chair, Prime Minister of Nepal KP Sharma Oli, will mainly focus on connectivity, poverty alleviation, trade, investment, tourism, climate change and security challenges. Other areas of discussion include strengthening and making effective the BIMSTEC secretariat, establishment of BIMSTEC development fund, Buddhist circuit, setting up of regional centres, adoption of BIMSTEC charter and rationalisation of priority areas.

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