The Embassy and Permanent Mission of Sri Lank in Vienna participated in the “BIMSTEC Tea Event” organized by the “Society Magazine” in collaboration with the diplomatic missions of the BIMSTEC countries at the Grand Hotel in Vienna recently.
This joint event, aimed at promoting tea and local delicacies in the countries of the “Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)" was the first of its kind to have been held in Vienna. The Embassy of Sri Lanka was involved in the initiative, from the conceptualization phase. The event attracted guests from diplomatic missions, the cooperate sector, public service and the media.
Diplomatic missions of Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Sri Lanka set up colorful stalls that provided a variety of cuisine and tea to the guests. The “Thai Smile Wien” Association represented the Kingdom of Thailand providing traditional Thai food and tea.
As the representative of the country holding the post of Secretary General of the BIMSTEC, the Ambassador of India in Vienna addressed the gathering on behalf of all BIMSTEC representatives, emphasizing the importance of the BIMSTEC countries and highlighting their rich cultures, the size of their populations, and the scale of their collective economic potential. He invited Europeans to visit BIMSTEC countries for vacations, citing that the BIMSTEC includes countries ranked as the most popular tourist destinations in the world, highlighting Sri Lanka in particular. The Deputy Chief of Protocol of the Federal Ministry of European and International Affairs of Austria appreciated the BIMSTEC countries in Vienna for the initiative and recalled his own association with the BIMSTEC countries.
The visitors to the Sri Lanka stall were treated to a cup of Ceylon tea with finger foods. Cultural performances of the BIMSTEC member countries, including traditional cultural dances from Sri Lanka graced the well–attended evening.
