UNB, Dhaka :
State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam has urged Saarc Secretary General Arjun Bahadur Thapa to pursue the regional cooperation over the issue of common rivers, since Bangladesh suffers badly from insufficient water during the dry season.
The State Minister also laid emphasis on regional cooperation in the hydropower sector among Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Bhutan.
The issues came up for discussion when Arjun Thapa met Shahriar Alam at the latter’s office at the Foreign Ministry on Sunday, said a media release issued on Monday.
The Saarc Secretary General assured him of his best efforts to pursue the issues during his tenure.
They also discussed various sectors of regional cooperation which include poverty alleviation, trade, hydropower, connectivity and climate change.
The State Minister congratulated him on his assumption of office as the new Secretary General of Saarc, and assured him of Bangladesh government’s fullest support during his tenure.
The Saarc Secretary General thanked the Bangladesh government for supporting him during his appointment procedure and recalled with satisfaction the contributions of Bangladesh to the Saarc process as one of its founding members.
He also briefed the minister on the implementation status of various initiatives within the Saarc process.
It was the first visit of Thapa to Bangladesh after his assumption of office as the Saarc Secretary General on March 1.
Thapa also attended the second meeting of the Saarc Cabinet Secretaries held at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel in Dhaka on April 26-27.
Thapa, along with his wife, left here for Kathmandu on Monday.
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) is an economic and geopolitical cooperation among eight member nations – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – in South Asian continent.
