Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment Arun Hemachandra has held discussions with senior representatives of BIMSTEC member states on strengthening regional cooperation in public health.

Deputy Minister Hemachandra received a collective courtesy call from the delegation today (10), at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Colombo.

The delegation was led by Dr. Anil Jasinghe, the Secretary to the Ministry of Health and Mass Media, and included senior health officials from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Thailand.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the inaugural BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting on Health being held in Colombo, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Discussions focused on enhancing regional cooperation in public health, sharing expertise and resources, strengthening institutional capacities and improving preparedness for future health emergencies.

Deputy Minister Hemachandra highlighted Sri Lanka's position as a founding member of BIMSTEC and its leadership in the area of Science, Technology and Innovation.

He also reaffirmed Sri Lanka's commitment to advancing regional cooperation through initiatives such as the BIMSTEC Technology Transfer Facility in Colombo and the proposed BIMSTEC Centre of Excellence on Public Health.

BIMSTEC Secretary General Ambassador Indra Mani Pandey, along with representatives of the BIMSTEC Secretariat and Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also attended the meeting.