BIMSTEC Secretary General Indra Mani Pandey visited Manila from 6 to 7 November to meet with the President of Asian Development Bank (ADB) and other members of its senior management.

During his meeting with ADB President Masato Kanda, Indra highlighted the long-standing cooperation between BIMSTEC and ADB, and appreciated the support it has provided in developing BIMSTEC Master Plan for Transport Connectivity, BIMSTEC Grid Interconnection Master Plan, BIMSTEC Transport Infrastructure and Logistics Study and various sectoral capacity-building programmes, said a media release on Monday.

The ADB president expressed his commitment to deepen ongoing cooperation and working together to identify additional avenues for expanding collaboration in future.

He underlined the importance that ADB attaches to cooperation with regional organisations like BIMSTEC.

The Secretary General also met with Yingming Yang, vice president (South, Central and West Asia) and Fatima Yasmin, vice president for Sectors and Themes.

His discussions with them focused on ongoing cooperation within their respective regions, sectors and themes, with both vice presidents expressing their commitment to further enhancing cooperation under BIMSTEC in areas of shared interest.

They underscored the convergence in agendas of BIMSTEC and ADB.

Senior officials, including Director General and Deputy Director General of the concerned regions and sectors, were also present at the meeting.

Indra emphasised the need to scale up technical assistance grant and consider project-based collaboration.

He underscored that the collaboration between BIMSTEC and ADB is crucial in advancing sustainable development, resilience and shared prosperity in the region.

Availing the opportunity of his presence in Manila, the Secretary General paid a courtesy call on Ma. Theresa P Lazaro, foreign secretary of the Republic of the Philippines.

He briefed her on the state of regional cooperation under BIMSTEC and discussed ongoing engagements and future avenues of cooperation between BIMSTEC and ASEAN, particularly as the Philippines prepares to assume the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2026.

BIMSTEC comprises seven countries of the Bay of Bengal region: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.