Bangkok, March 31 — The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit, scheduled for April 4 in Bangkok, will witness the signing of a Maritime Transport Cooperation agreement aimed at boosting trade and travel among member states.
The summit will also see the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), according to an official readout from the BIMSTEC Secretariat in Dhaka.
The maritime pact aims to expand cargo and passenger transport across the Bay of Bengal, enhancing connectivity and trade links.
BIMSTEC, comprising India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, focuses on regional cooperation across sectors such as agriculture, climate change, connectivity, security, and trade. The summit will be held under the theme “PRO BIMSTEC: Prosperous, Resilient and Open BIMSTEC.”
The leaders will also adopt the Bangkok Vision 2030, a comprehensive roadmap for future collaboration, and approve the rules of procedure for BIMSTEC mechanisms. The report of the Eminent Persons Group on the bloc’s future direction will also be adopted.
The summit will be preceded by a senior officials’ meeting on April 2 and a foreign ministers’ meeting on April 3.
