India played a proactive role in building capacities of BIMSTEC Member States across various sectors: MEA

Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla has said that India remains strongly committed to further building the momentum towards deepening of regional cooperation under the BIMSTEC framework and assiduously working towards making the organization stronger, more vibrant, more effective and result-oriented. 

Addressing an International Symposium yesterday, Mr Shringla said, the origins of BIMSTEC and India’s journey as one of its founding members have a contextual rationale. He said, Neighbourhood First and Act East both of which are relevant for BIMSTEC, are the cornerstones of India’s foreign policy. 

Mr Shringla, India has played a proactive role in building capacities of BIMSTEC Member States across various sectors of regional cooperation. He said, at the last Summit in 2018 in Kathmandu, the Prime Minister of India had announced several initiatives to strengthen BIMSTEC cooperation and capacity-building in different areas.

The Foreign Secretary said, BIMSTEC is unarguably a crucial link in connecting South and South-East Asia. He said, as the Prime Minister has noted that BIMSTEC has emerged as a promising regional grouping to fulfil the common aspiration of its people and



serve the shared interests of its Member States. Mr Shringla said, development and prosperity can only be achieved where there is peace and security. He said, security both within the borders and in the littoral region is crucial for our well-being. 

The Foreign Secretary said, the relevance of maritime connectivity and security in BIMSTEC is doubly emphasized. He said, the cooperation in the security sector, therefore, has a special significance. Mr Shingla informed that the BIMSTEC Centre for Weather and Climate, being hosted in India, is fully functional with state of the art facilities to provide early disaster warnings. He said, Covid-19 pandemic has added a new dimension to disaster management. 

The Foreign Secretary said, as the lead country for disaster management, India will organize a Tri-Services Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief HADR exercise towards the end of this year in the backdrop of the pandemic. He said, next year is going to be the silver jubilee year of the establishment of the BIMSTEC and the occasion gives member countries an opportunity to reinforce the efforts in raising the level of cooperation and economic integration.