Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend a virtual summit of the seven-nation BIMSTEC grouping on March 30, which is expected to focus on expanding economic engagement among its member countries.
The summit is being hosted by Sri Lanka in its capacity as the chair of the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation).
Besides India and Sri Lanka, the BIMSTEC comprises Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be attending the 5th BIMSTEC Summit on March 30. The summit meeting, which is being held in virtual mode, will be hosted by Sri Lanka, the current BIMSTEC chair," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
India has been making concerted efforts to make BIMSTEC a vibrant forum for regional cooperation as initiatives under the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) are not moving forward for a variety of reasons.
The MEA said meetings of BIMSTEC senior officials will take place on March 28, followed by meetings of the BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers (BMM) on March 29.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is visiting Sri Lanka from March 28 to March 30 and he will attend the meeting of the BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers.
"The Covid pandemic related challenges, and the uncertainties within the international system that all BIMSTEC members are facing, impart greater urgency to the goal of taking BIMSTEC technical and economic cooperation to the next level," the MEA said in a statement.
"This is expected to be the main subject of deliberations by leaders at the summit," it added.
The MEA said the leaders are also expected to discuss the establishment of basic institutional structures and mechanisms of the group.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
"Congress Ecosystem Is Angry": PM On Ganesh Puja At Chief Justice Home Akshay Kumar, Chiranjeevi, Rajinikanth Wish Prime Minister Narendra Modi On His 74th Birthday Live Updates: First 100 Days Of Modi 3.0, Ministers Unveil Report Card AAP Asks Its Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal To Quit Over Atishi Remarks "Your Duty...": Chief Justice On Bengal's 'No Night Shift For Women' Note "Glorification, Grandstanding": Supreme Court Pauses 'Bulldozer Justice' Pics: Supercars Line Up At The World's Largest Temple, Tourists Stunned IIT Kanpur Launches Project For UP Digital Health Stack New Kia Carnival MPV Gets Over 1,800 Pre-Orders Before Launch Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.