The BIMSTEC, or Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, secretary general Indra Mani Pandey has said that the summit of the 7-member grouping will take place in person on 4th April in Bangkok. Speaking to WION’s Sidhant Sibal in Muscat on the sidelines of the Indian Ocean Conference, he said, “We are going to have, perhaps, a Bangkok declaration adopted, which will define, for the first time, the BIMSTEC vision for the future. We will have a number of MOUs signed.”

Advertisment

Also read: Russian leaders are 'pathological liars': Zelensky says they can't be trusted and 'must be pressured

Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand are members of the BIMSTEC grouping that focuses on regional integration between South and Southeast Asia, from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal. The group, which came into being in 1997, is seen as an alternative to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which remains inactive due to Pakistan’s support for cross-border terrorism.

Sidhant Sibal: How important is the BIMSTEC grouping?
Indra Mani Pandey: It is very important, because if you look at the Bay of Bengal, it plays a very important role in the Indian Ocean. And then, if you look at the collective strength of the seven countries, whether we look at their GDP, their population, their external trade, I think we are very important part of the world. When we look at the eastern part of the Indian Ocean, or the western part of the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal lies in the centre, as India does. Since it’s an organisation where India enjoys the preeminent position, BIMSTEC becomes very important.

Advertisment

Sidhant Sibal: Can we expect the summit this year? Any planning underway?
Indra Mani Pandey: Actually, the summit has already been scheduled. So it will happen in Bangkok on 4th April, and there will be a ministerial meeting a day before that on 3rd April, the ground for which will be prepared by a meeting of senior officials on 2nd April. So the schedule has been finalised, and the summit is going to be held on 4th April.

Sidhant Sibal: And what will be the focus of the summit?
Indra Mani Pandey: Of course, it will have its declaration. We are going to have, perhaps, a Bangkok declaration adopted, which will define, for the first time, the BIMSTEC vision for the future. We will have a number of MOUs signed. We’ll have the report of the Eminent Persons group adopted, and then a lot of conversations will be there about the future of BIMSTEC. There is also a possibility that we might actually sign and adopt a very important agreement on maritime transport cooperation at this summit.

Also read: Palestinians must decide future of Gaza and Hamas, not Israel or US, says Qatar

Advertisment

Sidhant Sibal: When it comes to this summit, how will it help the grouping to grow? Because this grouping is still nascent. While it is old, its institutions are still being created.
Indra Mani Pandey: This summit will be very helpful because this is the first in-person summit that is taking place after 2018. The last summit in Colombo was a virtual summit. So, here the leaders would have the opportunity to have more intense conversations with one another about the future of BIMSTEC, and then they can show the direction, which will be, of course, evident in the vision that we are going to adopt and the declaration by the leaders.

Also read: 'US must compel Israel to abide by ceasefire deal' to secure hostage release', says Hamas