BIMSTEC set to ink maritime connectivity agreement

The agreement will focus on improving naval communication among member states

BIMSTEC, a regional economic cooperation alliance of seven nations around the Bay of Bengal, plans to sign a maritime connectivity agreement.

BIMSTEC Secretary General Indra Mani Pandey confirmed that the agreement would be signed at the summit in Thailand in September.

It will focus on improving naval communication among member states.

The exact details will be disclosed once the agreement is signed, Pandey said while speaking to reporters at the BIMSTEC Secretariat in Dhaka’s Gulshan on Monday.

Thailand has proposed a date for the summit, awaiting approval from member states, he said.

BIMSTEC or the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation is a regional grouping of seven members from South Asia – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka – and South East Asia –Thailand and Myanmar.

There will be significant outcomes from this summit, setting the future roadmap for BIMSTEC, said the Indian career diplomat Pandey.

Pandey said the 'Bangkok Vision 2030' will be adopted at the summit.

He highlighted the significance of this year's summit, particularly in the context of the BIMSTEC Charter implemented last month after nearly 27 years after its establishment on Jun 6, 1997.

Initially, BIMSTEC consisted of Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, with Myanmar, Nepal, and Bhutan joining later. The BIMSTEC Secretariat was established in Dhaka in 2014.

Geographically, BIMSTEC connects South Asia with Southeast Asia, serving as a bridge for inter-regional cooperation between the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, or SAARC, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN countries.

The presidency of BIMSTEC rotates, based on the English alphabetical order of member countries. Bangladesh is set to assume the next chairmanship following the Bangkok Summit.