New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday underscored the importance of expanded regional connectivity, cooperation and security among BIMSTEC countries.
Calling upon the leaders of BIMSTEC countries, the Prime Minister said that efforts should be made to convert the Bay of Bengal into a bridge of connectivity, prosperity and security among the member countries.
Narendra Modi virtually participated in the fifth BIMSTEC summit. The conference was hosted in virtual mode by Sri Lanka, the current President of BIMSTEC.
Ahead of the fifth BIMSTEC summit, a preparatory meeting at the level of senior officials and foreign ministers was held in Colombo on 28 and 29 March in a hybrid mode.
Theme of the summit
Towards a Resilient Region, Prosperous Economies, Healthy People’ is a matter of priority for the member countries. Apart from this, it also includes developing collaborative activities with the efforts of BIMSTEC, to deal with the effects of the Kovid-19 epidemic on the economy and development of the member countries.
The key step of the summit was the signing and ratification of the BIMSTEC Charter, which seeks to give shape to the organization of the member states that lie along and depend on the Bay of Bengal.
The Summit took stock of the remarkable progress made in fulfilling the BIMSTEC Connectivity Agenda. The heads of member states considered the ‘masterplan for traffic connectivity’. This master plan contains guidelines for preparing the roadmap for connectivity activities in this area in future.
Narendra Modi signed three BIMSTEC agreements with other leaders. These agreements cover the subject of progress made in current cooperation activities.
The Prime Minister and other heads of state signed the BIMSTEC Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, the BIMSTEC Memorandum of Understanding on Mutual Cooperation in the Field of Diplomatic Training and the Memorandum of Understanding for the establishment of the BIMSTEC Technology Transfer Facility.
BIMSTEC stands for ‘Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation’. It has seven member countries, five of which are India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, South Asian countries while Myanmar and Thailand are South Eastern countries.
