The State Minister came up with the decision when Bimstec Secretary General Ambassador M Shahidul Islam met him at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday.

The new building will be constructed at the present location of the Secretariat in Gulshan in the city, said a media release on Wednesday.

The permanent Secretariat of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) was established in Gulshan, Dhaka in 2014.

State Minister Alam said Bangladesh will host more Bimstec-related meetings and events in order to generate momentum in all important areas of cooperation.

He assured the Secretary General of Bangladesh government’s continued support for regional cooperation under the umbrella of Bimstec.

The 4th Bimstec Summit held in Kathmandu last year decided to increase the number of Directors of the Bimstec Secretariat to seven from existing three.

Bangladesh, as the host country of the Bimstec Secretariat, has agreed to provide additional office space to cope with the expansion of the Secretariat.

The Secretary General welcomed the decision to provide larger office building for the Bimstec Secretariat.

He also appreciated the contribution of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in mainstreaming sustainable development in the activities of Bimstec.

The Secretary General thanked Bangladesh for leading two important sectors of Bimstec cooperation, namely trade and investment and climate change.

He encouraged Bangladesh to play a more proactive role in completing the ongoing Bimstec FTA negotiations.

Shahidul Islam, an officer of Bangladesh Foreign Service, was nominated by the government to serve as the Secretary General of Bimstec for three years.