Connectivity to top BIMSTEC agenda

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Regional connectivity will top the agenda of Friday's summit of BIMSTEC foreign ministers in Myanmar, reports bdnews24.com.
Foreign Minister Dipu Moni left the capital Thursday for Yangon to attend the meeting of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).
"Connectivity will be one of the main issues to be discussed at the meeting in Myanmar," a director general (DG) of the foreign ministry told the news agency.
"BIMSTEC will devise a route plan for the connectivity in the region at subsequent meetings of transport ministers of the member countries," said the DG.
The economic bloc was established by member states - Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand - in 1997.
Its connectivity plan will link six South Asian countries with South East Asian countries such as Thailand and Myanmar. The plan is an alternative approach for integrating the South Asian region, sans Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Only the countries of the region that depend on the Bay of Bengal for trade and commerce are members of the group.
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) also has a plan for regional connectivity of all member countries - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
India is the lead country in BIMSTEC projects on regional connectivity, counter-terrorism and trans-national crimes. Bangladesh will lead the projects on trade and investment.
The DG said the meeting would also focus on hardcore issues of security, trade, climate change and agriculture.