New Delhi, Dec 11 (Inditop.com) The seven-member BIMSTEC grouping Friday signed a convention to combat terrorism — an important step that is expected to strengthen India’s action against militancy in its north east — and agreed to conclude a free trade agreement (FTA) soon.
Foreign Ministers of India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Thailand and Nepal signed the Convention on Cooperation in Combating International Terrorism, Trans-National Organised Crime and Illicit Drug Trafficking at the 12th BIMSTEC Ministerial meeting in Myanmar capital Nay Pyi Taw.
BIMSTEC comprises seven countries which ring the Bay of Bengal namely India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Thailand. India hosted the second BIMSTEC summit last year.
Inaugurating the ministerial meet, Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein stressed on cooperation in combating terrorism and trans-national organised crime.
With the ongoing Copenhagen climate conference in mind, the ministers agreed to include climate change as an important area of cooperation and work together in mitigation and adaptation efforts in the region.
“We are confident that the inclusion of this new area of cooperation will contribute significantly to the joint efforts on the mitigation and adaptation to climate change in the BIMSTEC region,” said a joint statement which was made available here.
The seven countries also decided to sign pacts on establishment of BIMSTEC Energy Centre, Centre for Weather and Climate and Cultural Industries Commission at the earliest.
They also decided to expand intra-regional economic cooperation and called for finalisation of the BIMSTEC FTA Agreement on Trade in Goods at the earliest.
“We reaffirmed the importance of the BIMSTEC FTA in promoting trade and investment in a mutually beneficial manner for all Member States, and enhancing competitiveness and socio-economic development in the BIMSTEC region,” the joint statement said.
Handing over the chairmanship of BIMSTEC to Myanmar, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said the seven-nation organisation is “a bridge” linking South and Southeast Asia with India’s northeastern states.
“We see BIMSTEC as an important vehicle to promote regional cooperation and economic integration in a range of areas,” Krishna said while handing over the chairmanship of BIMSTEC to his Myanmarese counterpart U. Nyan Win.
“We also see BIMSTEC as a bridge linking South and South East Asia with the North East region of our country,” he added.
Underlining India’s commitment to bolstering cooperation with the BIMSTEC region, Krishna called for more collaborative efforts to reap the full dividends of intra-regional cooperation.
“We would like to see BIMSTEC develop as a vibrant organisation. For the last three years of our chairmanship of BIMSTEC, we have been striving towards this goal,” he said.
The BIMSTEC has identified 14 areas of cooperation which include health, energy, technology, human resource development, trade, tourism and culture.
