Building Stronger Cooperation with BIMSTEC

29 May 2017

Mr. Sumith Nakandala, Secretary General, Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) advised member countries to look at regional cooperation in a pragmatic way, with efforts to build regional cooperation focusing on achieving practical results.

The Secretary General was speaking at a conference marking BIMSTEC’s 20th anniversary, held on 27-29 May 2017 at the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. The conference was organized by the Indian Studies Center of Chulalongkorn University and the BIMSTEC Secretariat, with support from Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He said BIMSTEC has developed a foundation for cooperation in its 20 years, with "the last three to four years [being] crucial" in pushing for progress for member countries Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Thailand. He noted how historical ties provide an example as to how the countries could further strengthen their bonds with each other.

Also discussed at the conference were the need for infrastructure and transport connectivity, and the proposed BIMSTEC free trade and motor vehicles agreements.

The BIMSTEC region has significant potential for trade and investment, with a combined $2.7 trillion gross domestic product and a 1.5 billion consumer base.

 

Related Links:

 

The sixth and final unit of the Punatsangchhu-II Hydropower Project was successfully synchronized with Bhutan’s national grid on...

Read More


Mr. Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary of the Government of India, visited Nepal on 17-18 August 2025 to strengthen...

Read More


The Government of India approved the purchase of an additional 200 MW of electricity from Nepal, effective 11...

Read More


The India-Bhutan energy partnership reached a major milestone with the operationalization of the fifth unit of the 1,020...

Read More


The Government of Bangladesh has launched a fully automated trade clearance system, making the submission and issuance of...

Read More


Assam and Bhutan have pledged to strengthen their bilateral tourism ties by collaborating on smoother and more accessible...

Read More


The new Gelephu Integrated Check Post (ICP) in Bhutan, which will play a key role in the Gelephu...

Read More