Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand on Friday, April 4Here they are expected to make important announcements to strengthen India’s role in strengthening regional cooperation. As the founding members of BIMSTEC, there has been a long history of cooperation between India and Thailand. PM Modi has played an important role in furthering the BIMSTEC agenda by hosting the retreat of BIMSTEC leaders in 2016.
Let us know here how PM Modi revived BIMSTEC, an international organization of 7 countries of South Asia and South East Asia and has helped to make it a vibrant platform.
PM Modi’s leadership and BIMSTEC get new pace
Even though BIMSTEC was established in 1997, the group got the real pace after 2016. PM Modi took special initiative to invite BIMSTEC countries for Leaders Retreat in Goa on the occasion of the BRICS Summit in 2016. Subsequently, he has paid personal and special attention to regional cooperation in the Bay region of Bengal through extending the group, strengthening and through it. In 2019, he invited BIMSTEC leaders for his swearing -in ceremony.
The special thing is that the BIMSTEC group depends on India’s leadership to carry forward its agenda. Along with India’s leadership, the PM’s focus on the vision for the Neberhood First Policy, Act East Policy, Ocean Vision and Indo-Pacific gives dynamics to the group. Following these policies of India creates new energy and benefits for its member countries.
BIMSTEC is getting strong institutional basis with PM Modi
The BIMSTEC Secretariat was established some time ago, but from an institutional point of view the organization got the actual lead in May 2024 after adopting its charter. This charter has given it an international personality, establishing its guiding principles and basic institutional basis. India appointed Indra Mani Pandey, a diplomat Indra Mani Pandey with a broad experience of working on multilateral fronts. These developments have brought new energy, purpose and action in the work of the group. India has focused on institute and capacity building. It has given 1 million US dollars to the BIMSTEC Secretariat for this purpose.
Then India hosted a meeting of BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers in July 2024. It also hosted an informal meeting of BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers on the other side of UNGA in New York in September 2024.
Extension of Bimstech Agenda
The BIMSTEC agenda has expanded manifold under the leadership of India. The work area of BIMSTEC is divided into seven parts, every country has been given the responsibility of leading a field. India is a pioneer in the security sector. Bangladesh Trade, Investment and Development, Bhutan Environment and Climate, Myanmar Agriculture and Food Safety, People to People’s Nepal, S&T and Innovation Sri Lanka and finally the responsibility of connectivity to Thailand.
Focus of India: Promoting regional integration for the good of the world
Security: India leads the security column. It has worked to create a strong legal structure to fight terrorism, violent extremism and international crimes in the region.
Connectivity: It has special emphasis on increasing physical, digital and energy connectivity. India hosts the BIMSTEC Energy Center in Bengaluru. The Center does the coordination of work towards making BIMSTEC regional grid inter-connection. It corresponds to the Prime Minister’s ‘one world, one sun, a grid’ approach.
Stability and disaster management: India is working to help BIMSTEC contribute to the global stability agenda. India conducts regular disaster management exercises between member countries. India also hosts the BIMSTEC center for weather and climate in Noida.
BIMSTEC in action
Under the leadership of India, BIMSTEC has seen a boom in activities to promote relations between people and promote regional integration. PM Modi has given high priority to involving youth, promoting culture and environmental nutrition. These aspects are being noted in BIMSTEC. There are some recent activities:
- BIMSTEC Aquatic Championship in Delhi in February 2024
- BIMSTEC Business Summit in Delhi in August 2024
- BIMSTEC Cultural Mandali participation in Bali Yatra in Cuttack in November 2024
- BIMSTEC Mandap at Surajkund fair in February 2025
- BIMSTEC Youth Summit in Ahmedabad in February 2025
- Bimstec youth led the Climate Change Conference in Delhi in February 2025
- Bimstec-India Marine Research Network launched in February 2024
BIMSTEC in Banklock
In 2016, the Prime Minister’s instruction for BIMSTEC in Goa has been shaping the agenda of the group. Two decisions of Goa Retreat are being unveiled in Bangkok – one, adopting BIMSTEC Vision 2030 and adopting the report of Bimstech Aminent Person Group.