Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, March 30: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today urged BIMSTEC countries to work together more closely, saying that the moment has come to transform the Bay of Bengal into a hub of connectivity, prosperity, and security.
PM Modi stated the outcomes of this historic meeting will record a golden chapter in BIMSTEC’s history in his opening remarks at the fifth BIMSTEC Summit. He also stated that India will provide $1 million to the BIMSTEC secretariat’s operational budget.
“The recent developments in Europe have raised questions about the stability of the international order. In this context, it has become a greater priority to have regional cooperation. Today we are adopting BIMSTEC charter to develop institution architecture for our group,” said PM Modi.
“India will provide the (BIMSTEC) secretariat 1 million US dollars to increase its operational budget…It is important to strengthen the capacity of (BIMSTEC) secretariat…I suggest the Secretary-General create a roadmap for the same,” he added.
We are working on extending and expanding the scope of the BIMSTEC scholarship program offered by the Nalanda International University. We are also signing a treaty on mutual legal assiatance on criminal matters: PM Modi at 5th BIMSTEC Summit pic.twitter.com/gw5OsRJXT1
— ANI (@ANI) March 30, 2022
Notably, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal, and Bhutan are all members of the BIMSTEC, in addition to India.
The ‘BIMSTEC Charter,’ which will give the grouping a worldwide character and lay out the core organisational infrastructure through which it will carry out its activity, will be adopted at the Summit. The BIMSTEC has emerged as a powerful engine of economic growth, with 21.7 percent of the world’s population and a combined GDP of USD 3.8 trillion.
