State Minister of Foreign Affairs Tharaka Balasuriya participated in the 2nd BIMSTEC Ministerial Retreat hosted by the Government of India on 11 July 2024 in New Delhi, India.
The Retreat, attended by the Foreign Ministers of the BIMSTEC countries, provided an informal platform to discuss ways and means of cooperating and accelerating action in security, connectivity, trade and investment within the Bay of Bengal. The proposals are expected to be submitted for consideration to the Heads of State at the upcoming 6th BIMSTEC Summit scheduled for 04 September 2024 in Thailand. Thailand currently holds the chairmanship of BIMSTEC.
State Minister Balasuriya during the Retreat underscored the need to have a mechanism within BIMSTEC to map mineral resources found in abundance within the countries of the Bay of Bengal region. He further emphasized the importance of developing opportunities for the vertical integration of stages of production within specific sectors in the economies of the countries, enabling countries to diversify their production structure. The State Minister referred to the initiative of Foreign Minister Ali Sabry at the First BIMSTEC Retreat for the creation of an Expert Group on Fiscal and monetary policy, and observed it would create a platform for the sharing of best practices within the region.
A joint courtesy call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi took place at the Government House on 12 July. The State Minister had meetings on the sidelines with the Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand Maris Sangiampongsa.
BIMSTEC was established in June 1997. Sri Lanka is a founding member of the seven member Group.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Colombo
12 July 2024
