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                   BIMSTEC Establishes Permanent Secretariat

   by Thar Nyunt Oo

   Leaders at the third BIMSTEC summit in Burma, also known as Myanmar,
   have established a permanent secretariat in Bangladesh to oversee the
   regional grouping of nations on a full-time basis.

   At a news conference after the meeting in the capital of Naypyitaw
   Tuesday, Burmese President Thein Sein said the new position in Dhaka
   will allow the seven-nation grouping to better coordinate and function
   more effectively.

   He added that groups like BIMSTEC -- the Bay of Bengal Initiative for
   Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, which includes
   India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Burma and Thailand -- are
   critical to addressing problems in the modern world.

   "In this age of globalization, regional and sub-regional groupings of
   nations with common culture and interests are no longer a matter of
   choice, but the need of the hour," he said.

   In addition to establishing a secretary general position, the leaders
   also signed agreements on setting up a Center for Weather and Climate
   in India to promote cooperation in scientific research for weather
   prediction and climate modeling.

   During the session in Naypyitaw, Burma held bilateral meetings with the
   leaders of India and Bangladesh. No details of the meeting were
   released.

   Burma, which handed over its BIMSTEC chairmanship to Nepal Tuesday, is
   also the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations,
   or ASEAN.

   This report was produced in collaboration with the VOA Burmese service.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/bimstec-establishes-permanent-secretariat/1864057.html