Colombo/New Delhi: Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar took part in the 18th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting in Colombo on Tuesday and discussed collectively ways to combat terrorism, violent extremism and cyber attacks among other issues. After thanking his Sri Lankan counterpart G.L. Peiris for his hospitality, the Indian Minister tweeted: “Emphasized our commitment to intensify and expand areas of cooperation, especially connectivity, energy and maritime cooperation. “Will encourage active business collaboration and common projects to this end,” he said. Jaishankar also mentioned cooperation on port facilities, ferry services, coastal shipping, grid connectivity and motor vehicles movement as key issues. “Must also collectively combat terrorism, violent extremism, transnational crime, cyber attacks and narco-trafficking. Look forward to the adoption of our Charter and Master Plan at the Summit tomorrow,” Jaishankar said. The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a regional multilateral organisation. Its members lie in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal and include Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand. UNI AO MR
