EAM Jaishankar to host BIMSTEC foreign ministers at 2-day retreat, starting today

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will host his counterparts from the BIMSTEC member countries at a two-day retreat starting today in the national capital.

The retreat will present an opportunity for the foreign ministers to discuss avenues to deepen cooperation across various sectors including in the fields of security, connectivity and trade, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Wednesday.

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) brings together seven countries of South and Southeast Asia for multi-faceted cooperation.

India has been making concerted efforts to make BIMSTEC a vibrant forum for regional cooperation as initiatives under SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) were not moving forward for a variety of reasons.

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Besides India, the BIMSTEC comprises Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan.

“The retreat will present an opportunity for the foreign ministers of the BIMSTEC countries to discuss, in an informal setting, avenues to broaden and deepen cooperation across various sectors including in the fields of security, connectivity, trade and investment, people to people contacts etc, in the Bay of Bengal region and littoral,” the MEA said.

The first edition of the BIMSTEC foreign ministers’ retreat was held in Bangkok on 17 July, 2023.

The sixth BIMSTEC summit is scheduled to be held in Thailand this year.

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The summit is set to seal an agreement on maritime transport cooperation which is expected to boost trade among the member states.

Meanwhile, leaders from the BIMSTEC countries started arriving in the national to attend the retreat on Wednesday.

“Deputy PM & FM U Than Swe of Myanmar arrives to a warm welcome in New Delhi for the BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers’ Retreat. Productive discussions on strengthening regional cooperation for a prosperous, connected and secure Bay of Bengal region lie ahead,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on X on Wednesday.

Than Swe’s visit to India comes against the backdrop of Myanmar witnessing intense fighting between the military junta and resistance forces. The resistance forces have already captured several towns.

Foreign ministers and top officials from Thailand, Nepal, Bhutan also arrived in the national capital on Wednesday.

The State Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka Tharaka Balasuriya and Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud  arrived in New Delhi on Thursday.

With inputs from agencies