With the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in limbo for nearly a decade, another regional organisation—the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), a mouthful, draws attention. Its unique characteristic is that it links two different regions—South Asia and Southeast Asia—with seven countries as its members: India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka on the one hand and Thailand and Myanmar on the other. As the Chair of BIMSTEC, Thailand hosted the latest, the sixth, summit in Bangkok on 4 April. How was it approached and handled by India, the largest member and a key driver for the regional grouping’s growth?

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Backdrop

BIMSTEC is now nearly 28 years old. It began its journey in June 1997 when its four founding members—Thailand, India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka—formed BIST-EC, a mechanism for economic cooperation among these four countries. It worked gingerly under the shadow of the larger grouping SAARC, making minimal progress. However, from 2016 onwards, when India decided to invest more energy and resources, BIMSTEC began to gain momentum. The retreat of its leaders, held in October of that year in Goa, helped it sharpen its focus and raison d’être.  Thereafter, at the Kathmandu summit in August 2018, it decided to have its Charter. The work began earnestly and progressed well, despite the Covid. The Charter came into operation last year.

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Regardless of the leaders’ decision to hold a summit every two years, a one-year delay occurred due to political developments in Thailand. As the date of the Bangkok summit approached, some uncertainty descended after a major earthquake struck Myanmar, which also affected the host nation, Thailand. However, by proceeding with the summit, the concerned governments demonstrated their resolve and persistent interest in fostering closer cooperation in clearly defined sectors.
The summit’s backdrop was also marked by serious tensions in several bilateral relationships, especially the ties between India and Bangladesh.

India’s approach

From time to time, doubts are raised about India’s commitment to regional cooperation and integration. The argument advanced is that New Delhi is more interested in focusing on its relations with major powers and tends to neglect the South Asian region or the BIMSTEC region. Such criticism is largely unjustified. A close examination of what India’s leaders, diplomats, and others do to promote cooperation with its neighbours, both bilaterally and regionally, demonstrates the centrality of the neighbourhood to its foreign policy and national security. This came out sharply and clearly through what New Delhi stated and did at the Bangkok summit.

First, in his statement at the BIMSTEC meeting of the foreign ministers, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stressed that “India is aware of its special responsibility in regard to BIMSTEC.” With both geo-economic and geo-strategic factors in mind, India has devoted its energies and attention to strengthening the BIMSTEC over the past decade. This regional organisation, he stated, represents “the trifecta of three of our crucial initiatives,” namely, the Act East Policy, the Neighbourhood First approach, and the MAHA-SAGAR outlook.

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Then, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address at the summit, presented a 21-point package of proposals and initiatives that aim to strengthen the grouping in diverse areas: business, IT, migration and disaster management, security, space, capacity building and training, youth engagement, sports, culture, and connectivity. Once this package is substantially implemented, the BIMSTEC—and India’s position within it—will undoubtedly stand further strengthened. It was not just a regional organisation, he said. It was “a model for inclusive development and collective security.” Increased cooperation and mutual trust would “take BIMSTEC to even greater heights.” 

Key outcomes

The Bangkok summit, the first in-person summit since 2018, has produced tangible outcomes. The following six results are particularly noteworthy: the summit declaration covering all aspects of the organisation, BIMSTEC Vision 2030, Rules of Procedure for various mechanisms, the Report of the Eminent Persons Group on future directions, the Agreement on maritime transport cooperation, and the joint statement on the impact of the earthquakes in Myanmar and Thailand. Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra explained that building upon the foundations laid when Thailand hosted the inaugural summit in 2004, “the latest summit focused on the theme of “PRO BIMSTEC: Prosperous, Resilient, and Open,” aiming to address “regional challenges and strengthen cooperation in areas such as disaster management and economic integration.”

A regional summit, by definition, offers leaders of its member states the opportunity to hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines, even those with strained relations. From this perspective, the Chair, as well as the Indian Prime Minister, managed to meet with all or most of the other leaders. From the Indian perspective, Prime Minister Modi’s meeting with Bangladesh leader Mohammed Yunus, Chief Adviser, was very significant. It indicated that, despite serious tensions in the relationship, New Delhi was willing to adopt a constructive approach “based on pragmatism.” Had this meeting not taken place, it may have cast a dark shadow on the summit’s success, as Bangladesh is the incoming Chair.

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PM Modi’s interaction with Myanmar’s leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, was skillfully utilised to convey India’s deep sympathy and meaningful support to the quake-hit nation, as well as a significant political signal. The message was that Myanmar must resolve its internal problems through dialogue because no military solution was possible. New Delhi’s call for the restoration of the democratic process through inclusive and credible elections was well-calibrated.

Prospects

The Bangkok Summit has achieved the expectations it raised. The natural ease with which the ministers and the leaders connected with each other indicated that they all felt quite comfortable in each other’s company. This empathy should be leveraged to build more equities in regional integration, but it demands steadfastness and persistence on a long journey ahead.
Two more suggestions. One, BIMSTEC is underfunded for the development of its region. It must look for new ways to generate substantial funds. Two, the grouping’s name is unwieldy. Nobody, not even experts, can readily recall the complete form of BIMSTEC. It should re-christen itself. Simply call it the Bay of Bengal Community (BOBC).

(Ambassador Rajiv Bhatia is Distinguished Fellow, Gateway House. He was the Director General of the Indian Council of World Affairs from 2012–15. As a member of the Indian Foreign Service, he served as Ambassador to Myanmar and Mexico and as High Commissioner to Kenya and South Africa. He is an author of three books on Indian foreign policy.)

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)