Dhaka, Sept 2 (UNB) - Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said her participation in the 4th Bimstec Summit and Bangladesh’s role in the meetings held just before the Summit in Kathmandu have highly been acclaimed by all quarters. "In overall consideration, the Summit and other meetings were very important for Bangladesh," she said while addressing a press conference at her official residence Ganobhaban about the outcomes of her just-concluded visit to Nepal for attending the Summit. The Prime Minister said in her speech at the opening session of the Summit, she urged the leaders to face poverty, adverse impact of climate change and counterterrorism and other problems in the Bimstec region with joint and coordinated efforts. In the fast changing global scenario, Sheikh Hasina said, she put emphasis on reviewing and reorganising 14 important issues of cooperation among the member countries.

 

She also called upon the member countries to work together to develop the bloc as a more dynamic and fruitful organisation through reorganising the issues of cooperatives into three main clusters namely “Sustainable Development", Security and Stability" and "People to People Contact" on priority basis, she said.

Besides, she underscored the need for formation of Free Trade Area, enhancing investment, cooperation on power sector and investment of capital.

The Prime Minister said she stressed the importance of consolidating fundamental legal frameworks to carry forward the substantive engagements in the cooperation to produce visible results.

In her speech, she said, she urged the Bimstec leaders to further strengthen the organisation and make it more effective as well as stressed implementation of the 16-point Goa Declaration adopted in 2016.

About the memorandum of understanding signed on Bimstec power grid interconnections, Sheikh Hasina hoped that it will create new areas of cooperation on electricity in the Bimstec region.

The Prime Minister said she exchanged views with leaders of the member states on further increasing cooperation on bilateral and regional issues during her participation in the retreat session of the Summit.