The third Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit began in Myanmar, today. The Bhutanese delegation is led by Prime Minister, Tshering Tobgay.
The President of Myanmar, Thein Sein, welcomed the heads of the BIMSTEC member states, Prime Minister TsheringTobgay, Indian Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, the President of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister of Nepal, Shushil Koirala, and the Special Envoy of Thailand.
President Thein Sein called for a collective effort from all member states in achieving the targeted areas of cooperation to build a better future for the sub region. The areas of cooperation include trade and investment, technology, energy, transport and communication, poverty alleviation, environment, disaster management, cultural cooperation and people to people contact.
Two memorandum of association and a memorandum of understanding were signed. One memorandum of association is for the establishment of the BIMSTEC Permanent Secretariat in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka. The other is for the establishment of BIMSTEC Centre for Weather and Climate in India. The centre is expected to promote regional cooperation on disaster risk reduction and management. It would also enable member countries to pool scientific resources and to benefit from weather forecasting among others.
The memorandum of understanding is for the establishment of BIMSTEC Cultural Industries Commission and BIMSTEC Cultural Industries Observatory in Paro. It is expected to promote cultural industries as a strategy for poverty reduction in the region. The opening ceremony also saw a showcase of cultural programs and videos on culture from the member states.
The theme this year is “Partnership for Harmony and Prosperity”.
