Bangladesh wants more realistic BIMSTEC as it celebrates founding anniversary

The state minister for foreign affairs has called upon the BIMSTEC to focus on “more realistic, result-oriented and mutually beneficial” partnerships to prosper together.

Md Shahriar Alam was speaking at the celebration of the 19th founding anniversary of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) in Dhaka on Sunday.

Born in 1997, the seven-member grouping of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand connects South Asia with the Southeast Asia, and serves as a platform for inter-regional cooperation between SAARC and ASEAN members.

Bangladesh hosts the headquarters in Dhaka.

The state minister said Bangladesh has been contributing to the BIMSTEC process since its inception to make it “a more dynamic and effective platform for regional cooperation.”

“We hope for a better future by ensuring connectivity for the free movement of goods, services and people in the region.”

He said agriculture and food security were the “key priority areas”, having inherited an agro-based economy and keeping in mind the huge population in this region.

“BIMSTEC is also poised to become the platform for ensuring security and development through poverty reduction, counter-terrorism, protecting human rights, economic integration, ensuring energy security and tackling climate change,” the junior minister said.

“It is high time that we translate these potentials into implementable projects to change the present and future of the peoples of the member states.”

He said the member states must work together as “a cohesive body in an atmosphere of friendship, amity, peace and stability”.

Speaker of the Sri Lankan parliament Karu Jayasuriya and BIMSTEC Secretary General Sumith Nakandala were also present, among others, at the ceremony.