The comparison between BIMSTEC and SAARC is misleading and misplaced and hurts the interests of BIMSTEC, said BIMSTEC Secretary General Indra Mani Pandey on Tuesday.

BIMSTEC Secretary General made the remarks while interacting with Diplomatic Correspondents Association of Bangladesh (DCAB) members at BIMSTEC headquarters in Dhaka.

Regional cooperation is a prerequisite for development and security of Bay of Bengal region and BIMSTEC has emerged as a dynamic and suitable platform to realise it, he said.

BIMSTEC serves the core security and developmental interests of Bangladesh as well as other member States, said Pandey.

BIMSTEC is a real and present opportunity, not a remote and hypothetical possibility, he added.