KATHMANDU: The pre-summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral and Economic Cooperation is taking place in Kathmandu next week, prior to the fourth summit. The objective of the establishment of BIMSTEC, a sub-regional body comprising seven countries — Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Bhutan — is to achieve socio-economic development by assimilating the spirit of equality and cooperation. It was established on June 6, 1997 by adopting the Bangkok Declaration. Its headquarters is in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The pre-summit scheduled for coming August 1 and 2 will be of the people’s level, not the government level. The incumbent and retired senior officials of foreign ministries from all BIMSTEC member countries will be attending the event to be held on the initiative of Institute for Strategic Socio-Economic Research. As stated by acting chair of organising committee Prof Govinda Nepal, ambassadors of BIMSTEC countries, senior officials of external/foreign affairs ministries, intellectual community and people earning names in socio-economic sectors will be featured in the pre-summit. Following the pre-summit, reports prepared by the organisations of the BIMSTEC countries working on socio-economic and poverty issues will be presented to Nepal in its capacity as the BIMSTEC chair.