As the host nation of the fourth Bimstec (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) summit, Nepal will propose the indicative date for the summit at the foreign secretary-level meeting of the member nations taking place in Kathmandu on the first week of February.

Foreign Secretary Shankar Das Bairagi said the Senior Official Meeting (SOM), taking place from February 5 to 7, will propose the indicative date for the summit that the government is determined to stage within this year.

Once the indicative date is proposed by the host nation, the member nations must approve them.

Besides proposing the indicative date, Bairagi said, the SOM will also discuss various reports presented by technical committee on 14 areas of cooperation, including trade and investment, transportation and communication, energy, tourism, agriculture, public health, environment and disaster management, and counter terrorism and transnational crime. The meeting will also review the progress made on various fronts and discuss the reports presented by various thematic panels, Bairagi added.