<span style="color: #222222;">A five-day exchange programme for the faculties of foreign service academies of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) member states began yesterday in Dhaka for the first time.<br />''</span><br />''During the exchange programme, diplomats of the BIMSTEC member countries will present proposals on ways to increase mutual cooperation among the Foreign Service training institutions of the South and South East Asian sub-regional platforms. <br />''<br />''<span style="color: #222222;">Bangladesh Foreign Ministry's press release said, that thirteen faculties of Foreign Service academies from seven BIMSTEC countries are taking part in the programme. The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is an international organisation of the seven South Asian and Southeast Asian nations – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. These are among the countries dependent on the Bay of Bengal.</span><br />