Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday called for collective efforts of the seven Bay of Bengal countries at tapping the full potentials of the region for the benefits of their people. “We need to find common strategies to rebuild a sustainable and resilient Bay of Bengal region by tapping the full potentials of the region,” she said while addressing the 5th BIMSTEC Summit that opened in Sri Lankan capital Colombo. Joining the summit virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban the prime minister said that the summit meeting gives an opportunity to expedite the collective efforts and find out common solutions to the multiple challenges. BIMSTEC of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation comprises Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand bringing together 1.54 billion people of the resource-rich region.