Senior officials working toward a free trade agreement between seven South and Southeast Asian nations met in the Bangladeshi capital Wednesday. The officials will take stock of cooperation in sectors targeted for closer ties at last year's meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, said Bangladesh's top foreign ministry official Hamayetuddin, who uses one name. They also plan to review ongoing negotiations for a regional free trade agreement, he was quoted as saying by the Associated Press. The trade group, known as BIMSTEC or the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, was launched by Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand in 1997. Last year, the members pledged to work toward closer ties in trade, investment, technology, tourism, transportation, communication, energy and fisheries. "In BIMSTEC, our goal is to achieve better economic performance and enhance our competitive edge in the world market," Bangladesh's Foreign Minister M. Morshed Khan said as he opened the meeting.
